Guilty Gratification
Regis was captivated by it. It dimmed all the others by comparison. Dozens of gleaming red jewels sparkled innocently up at him from the unwisely ajar display case, but one stood out among them, like the moon against a background of stars.
He wanted this thing, this gem, and years of pick-pocketing in the streets of Calimport had instilled in him the immoral value to take what one wants.
His acute peripheral vision told him no one was watching. His fingers twitched. He licked his lips, fully understanding the gravity of what he was about to do, but was unable to stop himself.
With the speed of a striking cobra, his hand darted into the case, and he plucked a single, sparkling jewel from its depths, pocketing it within a second with expert precision.
Under the careful mask of feigned detachment, he nonchalantly bade Pasha Pook goodnight for what he knew was the last time….unless he was caught, of course.
In which case, he probably would not have time to say anything at all.
The thought was not reassuring.
Before the sun had completely set, the villainous halfling was on a swift caravan out of the desert city.
He could practically smell Pook's hunters seeking him, for surely the depraved pasha had noticed by now….
"You're a dirty, thieving fool, Regis," he berated himself under his breath, but it was far too late to turn back now. He would flee north and make friends, powerful friends who could protect poor old Regis and drive away whatever fiends Pook sent his way.
Under his cloak, he clutched his prize, wondering if it was worth the price he had set upon his head.
That night, when the caravan stopped and made camp, Regis' mind churned up nightmares of what would happen to those who failed to find him. Probably get chopped up in front of Pasha Pook's eyes, or torn apart by Pook's prized cats.
And for the ones who actually found the halfling, well, they would have to contend with the friends the halfling would have cunningly surrounded himself with.
Put off by his own deviousness, Regis tossed in his sleep, troubled.