Hey guys! Welcome back to Hear a Tale! So sorry for the unannounced hiatus - I got my wisdom teeth out, then had to deal with an infection, and it was just a whole thing. But I'm fine now! And very happy to be feeling better and getting back to writing :) Anyway! Review time!
Thanks so much to CitrusChickadee for reviewing! Character study-type chapters are always fun to write, especially with characters as full of potential as these :) And once again, yes, Party Dad Olberic supremacy XD Hope you continue to enjoy!
And with that, on with the tale!
Relevant Events: Therion's Chapter Three
33. Expectations
"Hmm…decisions, decisions…" Therion murmured to himself, kneeling behind a crate of likely-stolen goods. His eye flicked back in the direction of the barkeep's retreating back, noting the piece of parchment conspicuously protruding from the man's back pocket - the list of goods to be sold at the Black Market just outside of Wellspring. It wouldn't be overly difficult to steal - provided Therion could catch up with him without being seen. Easier said than done, considering the complete lack of cover the arid Sunlands tended to provide, not to mention the fact that it was broad daylight.
No, Therion thought, gaze wandering over to a pair of aristocrats relaxing atop a low rock outcropping back the way he'd came. There's far easier prey for me to target here…
Suddenly, a hand landed on his shoulder, causing his heart to all but leap into his throat - at least, until he saw a familiar set of golden bracelets attached to it out of the corner of his eye.
"Primrose, what the hell!?" he hissed, shifting to allow her to kneel beside him, such that they were both concealed by the stack of crates. "Weren't you supposed to be waiting with the others!?" The other six travelers were - hopefully - still waiting back in Wellspring, either for Therion to return with the Dragonstone, or for his signal that things had gone wrong and he needed help.
"I thought you might like some backup," the dancer whispered back, seemingly making herself comfortable in the sand. "Don't worry, I can say with complete confidence that I wasn't seen."
"Ugh…" Therion shook his head, suppressing a grimace. True, it would be useful to have a companion close by in case something happened to him, but he was accustomed to working alone. Still, he had to admit that, out of all of the others, Primrose was likely the best choice to stealthily accompany him, given her innate grace and ability to manipulate darkness. "Fine. Thanks, or…whatever. Just remember to lie low and follow my lead, okay?"
"Sir, yes, sir," Primrose chuckled. Then, she carefully peered out from behind the crates, observing the Black Market employees carefully sorting through and documenting all of the wares scattered about. "So tell me, Master Thief. How do you plan on getting in?"
"Truth be told, I haven't decided yet," Therion answered, though even as he said so, he watched the tavern keeper's form move out of sight. As useful as the list might have been, he wasn't willing to chase the man all the way back to Wellspring in order to get it. Time was of the essence, and every moment spent dawdling was another chance for the Dragonstone to be sold and spirited away before he was even able to enter the market. That in mind, the thief switched his attention back to the lounging aristocrats.
"Oh, really?" came Primrose's voice again, shattering his focus.
Therion managed - just barely - to resist rolling his eyes. "Look," he whispered, after a brief silence, "I'm trying to concentrate here."
"Oh, sorry." The small smile playing at Primrose's lips took away some of the sincerity of her apology. "Am I bothering you?"
Now that was a question he would be wise not to answer truthfully.
"...you're in an awfully good mood today," he said instead, distractedly trying to calculate the best angle to sneak up on the aristocrats so that they would have the lowest chance of spotting him.
"Well I am rather excited, after all," Primrose replied. "Joining a real, live thief on one of his capers…it's like mystery theater come to life!"
Therion couldn't help but snort in amusement. Putting it like that made it sound like he was some sort of dashing rogue on another one of his daring escapades - the kind of hero from adventure stories that deftly outwitted his foes and attracted a surprising amount of female attention for the amount of criminal activity he engaged in.
…was that actually how she saw him?
No. No, that would be ridiculous.
"Well, it's not a show," he said flatly, refusing to look directly at her as he tried to will away the embarrassed blush he felt creeping in. "It's serious business."
"Oh, of course," Primrose said with a sly wink in his direction. "That's why I'm going to be a good girl and leave you to it."
Therion said nothing.
"...it is very exciting, though," the dancer added in a hushed whisper.
"...I'm happy you feel that way."
Ignoring Primrose's soft chuckle, Therion carefully scanned the area, taking note of a shadowed area between two rock formations that was tantalizingly close to his targets' positions. If the shadows could extend just a bit further in their direction, it would make for the perfect cover…
His visible eye flicked over in Primrose's direction. "Alright," he whispered, "you want to help this 'real, live thief?' Take a look over there." He pointed and her gaze followed. "I'm going to swipe a mask - or two, I guess, now that you're here - from those noblemen. That way, we can disguise ourselves and get into the market. Only problem is, I'm going to need a little more cover than this damned desert seems to want to offer. Think you can take care of that problem for me?"
The dancer smirked. "It would be my greatest pleasure." She delicately placed one hand on the sandy ground, letting tendrils of darkness magic flow from her fingertips. The artificial shadows crept silently along the side of the nearby cliff face, melding with its natural shade and lengthening it until it stretched far enough to adequately conceal a careful thief. The change was subtle, practically unnoticeable unless one had been watching it from the start - and luckily for them, none of the Black Market employees seemed inclined to look up from their busy work.
"Go get them, Master Thief," Primrose whispered in Therion's ear, nudging his side playfully. "I'm looking forward to the show."
"I'd lower my expectations if I were you," the thief grumbled, though no amount of irritation could stop the color from rising to his cheeks. "I'll…be right back."
Without waiting for a response, Therion checked to make sure no one was looking in their direction, then darted out from behind the crates, slipping easily into the elongated shadows. He padded carefully along the length of the cliffside, crouched low to the ground with one hand pressing the end of his scarf to the sand-dusted surface, blotting out his footprints as soon as he'd made them. Every step as deft and silent as a feather brushing glass, he swiftly approached his targets, all the while desperately trying not to acknowledge the weight of Primrose's intrigued gaze on his back.
No one had ever sat and watched him at his work before, and it might have made him squirm if he'd let it, but he wasn't about to give in to stage fright.
Therion ducked behind the rock formation that stood only a few paces away from where the two aristocrats idled, lazily discussing some matter of business that Therion did not care to pay attention to. The thief smirked, eyeing the two nondescript, gray masks just resting out in the open behind the two noblemen. One of them had even discarded his luxurious red jacket, no doubt in response to the day's lingering heat, and had left it folded neatly beside the masks - an even more perfect opportunity for a disguise than Therion had imagined. The whole display was practically an offering just begging to be stolen, as though it had been placed on an altar to Aeber, the Prince of Thieves himself.
And here I thought this was going to be a challenge, Therion thought wryly.
He glanced down at the ground, then knelt and picked up a small piece of yellowed stone that had evidently crumbled off of the rock spire that concealed him at some point. After a brief check to ensure that the noblemen weren't paying any real attention to their surroundings, he flung the stone up into the air, where it struck the edge of the cliff face on the opposite side of where he hid, causing loose pebbles to tumble down the wall with audible clacks.
One of the aristocrats frowned, shading his eyes with his hand as he peered up at the disturbed earth. "That's odd…" he mumbled to his companion. "Do you suppose there could be someone up there?"
"I highly doubt it," scoffed his friend, though he also stood in an attempt to get a better view of the higher ground. "Who in their right mind would attempt to spy on a Black Market? And in broad daylight, too…"
As the two of them discussed the matter amongst themselves, all the while drawing closer to the site of the distraction in spite of their assurances, Therion took a slow, silent breath. There would only be one chance to get this right, lest his cover be blown.
Three…two…one.
The thief darted out from behind the pillar of rock, his steps lighter than air as he ran. Neither nobleman so much as turned in his direction, allowing Therion to snatch both of their masks and one man's jacket before wheeling about and retreating back into cover, dashing out his footprints with his scarf the whole way through.
It was not yet time to rest, however. If he lingered long, his victims would soon realize they'd been robbed, and he was not planning on being there when they decided to search the nearby area. As such, Therion wasted not a single moment in bolting back through the shadows Primrose had altered, barely even daring to breathe until he was all the way back down the path and ducking back behind the set of crates with a quick somersault to break his momentum.
The dancer put a hand on his shoulder to steady him as he collected himself, and he turned to face her with a roguish smirk, pressing his back against the crates while he waited for his heartbeat to slow. "Well, then," he said breathlessly, shaking the sand from his hair, "was that enough of a 'performance' for you?"
He'd meant it in jest, but the awe in Primrose's eyes was genuine as she returned his grin. "All that I expected and more," she whispered back. "It seems I was right…a true Master Thief in his element is a sight to behold."
Therion's eyebrows lifted, but he quickly cleared his throat and shook his head, brushing off her words. "Yeah, yeah…back to business. We've got another 'show' to put on if we're going to get into that market."
After taking a moment to fully catch his breath, Therion handed one of the gray masks to Primrose, then brushed his long bangs out of the way and affixed the other to his face. He then brushed a few stray grains of sand from the stolen jacket before tossing it on over his worn shawl and scarf, obscuring them from view with a facade of wealth.
"Not perfect, but it'll do," Therion muttered, straightening the jacket. He glanced over at Primrose. "There aren't many noblewomen's clothes lying about, you know. You going to be alright without much of a disguise?"
"Oh, don't worry, I'll be just fine," Primrose replied, an odd wryness in her tone as she donned her own stolen mask. "I have a few ideas for what role I'll be playing, anyway…"
He wasn't sure why, but Therion suddenly felt a distinct bolt of dread course through him at her words.
"...sure." He shook his head as though to clear it. "Anyway…no time like the present. Let's double back a bit so we look like we're just arriving. After that, you can leave the talking to me."
"You are the expert," Primrose said with a playful nod. "Lead the way."
In accordance with Therion's plan, the two of them slipped into the shadows, carefully making their way back up the path leading back to Wellspring, far enough that their entrance wouldn't seem suspicious to the Black Market staff, but not straying any closer to the still-bewildered aristocrats than necessary. Once they had retreated a suitable distance, the disguised thief and dancer emerged from the shade, casually strolling out in the open along the sand-flecked road.
"No one's going to bother checking where our footprints begin," Therion mumbled under his breath, mostly to reassure himself rather than Primrose. "Though…with any luck, on the off-chance that they do, other people will have come along and trampled all over our trail by then."
The dancer chuckled lightly. "I'm not sure that I'd expect anyone to be quite so obsessive over the tiniest details as you, Therion."
"That's the hope, anyway." He shook his head. "Still…I don't like taking chances if I don't have to."
"So…if those noblemen hadn't been in the way, you'd have walked us all the way back to Wellspring to create a proper trail from there?"
"Trust me, Primrose, a thief can never be too careful. Now, shh. Here's the entrance."
Taking a quick deep breath to ready himself, Therion quickly adjusted his gait to the smooth, confident swagger of an aristocrat who was used to going wherever he pleased. He was nearly thrown off balance by Primrose seizing his arm in both hands, only barely managing to right himself before they rounded the corner and entered the view of the two guards at the Market's entrance. He eyed her warily, but she gave no indication that anything was amiss, so he strode onwards, the dancer practically hanging off of his elbow as she kept pace with him.
The hell is she doing…? he thought idly as they approached the guards. Then, immediately, Never mind. I don't want to know.
The guards both stood at attention as Therion reached them, reinforcing his confidence that his disguise was working. The man on the left nodded respectfully at the false nobleman, while the one on the right made no attempt to hide the fact that his eyes were too busy trailing all over Primrose to pay Therion any mind.
"Welcome, sir," the left guard greeted the disguised thief, arms spread in a welcoming stance. "I hope you'll find today's selection to your liking."
Therion nodded, then adopted the most posh, pompous accent he could muster without sounding too over-the-top to be believable. "As do I."
"Plenty of pretty baubles in there for your lady friend, I'd wager," the guard on the right added suggestively. Despite his mask, his broad grin was evident in his tone, and his gaze not-so-subtly dipped down to Primrose's chest. "Looks like you treat her well enough already, but a damsel can never have too many shiny things, yeah?"
As the left guard rolled his eyes at his companion's unprofessionalism, Therion scowled. He attempted to school his features into something more like vaguely miffed indignation than the genuine disgust he was actually experiencing, but he wasn't entirely sure if it was working. "Now, I don't see how that's - "
"Oh, come now…" Primrose interrupted suddenly, her voice a smooth, unusually airy purr that effectively froze Therion's words in his throat. She rested her cheek on his shoulder, slowly batting her eyelashes behind her mask. "I think a new necklace would be absolutely lovely…Master."
It took every ounce of self control in Therion's body for him not to screech like a startled ratkin.
She's trying to kill me, the thief thought numbly as he tried not to openly gape at the dancer. He was suddenly grateful that the gray mask hid his surely beet-red face. She is absolutely trying to kill me.
Though his heart was hammering in his chest, to point where he was sure the guards would be able to hear it, he fought to pull his composure back together, focusing on the role he was supposed to be playing rather than his own scrambled thoughts.
"Now, now, not in public, dear," he murmured in his best aristocratic accent, placing his hands on Primrose's shoulders to hide the fact that they were shaking beyond belief. "Very well…perhaps we'll find a gift for you somewhere in here, alright?"
Primrose giggled and brushed one of his hands with her own fingers. "That sounds wonderful…" she murmured. Her voice was kept soft and innocent for the guards' sake, but in her eyes, Therion could see nothing but devilry.
Thankfully, he was saved from having to comment further by the left guard clearing his throat and stepping aside from the carved-out entrance in the cliffside behind him. "Apologies for any indiscretion on our parts, sir," he said. "Please, enjoy the Market."
Therion nodded stiffly. "Thank you." Without another word, he brushed past the guards, Primrose still clinging to his arm (and snickering under her breath) as the two of them made their way inside the desert cave that was home to the Black Market.
"I hope you know that I hated absolutely everything about that," Therion hissed in Primrose's ear once they were far enough away from the guards.
"It's hardly my fault that you're so easy to fluster," she teased, tossing a wink in his direction. "How else would you care to explain why a woman in revealing dancer's regalia is accompanying a nobleman to a Black Market?"
Now that was a frustratingly valid point.
"...I wouldn't," Therion muttered, "which is why I intended to do this alone."
"I haven't heard you ask me to leave yet."
The thief paused briefly, glancing sideways at his fellow traveling companion. Though her eyes still sparkled with mischief, she had substantially loosened her grip on his arm, and she was no longer pressed up against his side like a simpering lover. She stood straighter, was giving him space, and had overall transformed right back into the sly, dignified Primrose that he knew and much preferred.
"...I…suppose you did prove yourself to be a good actress," Therion admitted with a begrudging sigh. "And…your performance did make sense in this context, fine. Still, just warn me next time, will you?"
Primrose laughed and nodded. "Very well," she agreed. "I'll make sure you know what to expect next time. I apologize for…surprising you like that." Her grin was audible in her voice as she added, "Though I take it the fact that you assume there will be a 'next time' means that you forgive me?"
Therion snorted lightly. "As if I could stay mad at you," he grumbled, only half-sarcastically. "Yeah, yeah, I forgive you. Nearly giving me a heart attack aside, you're a surprisingly decent thieving partner. Your acting was…clever. And you keep things interesting, if nothing else."
The dancer tilted her head slightly. "I'm…not entirely sure if that's a compliment or not, but I suppose I'll choose to take it as one. Truly, it's a pleasure working with you."
"Er…likewise. Mostly. I guess."
Damn it, how does she do that so easily!? he questioned silently, once again thankful for the mask hiding his reddened face. Of every woman he'd ever met, none were nearly so skilled as Primrose at shattering his carefully constructed composure and reducing him to a flustered, blushing mess.
He preferred not to think about what that might mean for his own heart.
"Anyway," Primrose said with a chuckle, pulling him back out of his thoughts, "I suppose it's time to find that dragonstone. I expect the most difficult trial of getting in here is already behind us?"
Therion shook his head. "Trust me, Prim," he sighed, steeling himself for the challenge ahead as the two of them entered the Market proper, "if there's anything I've learned over the years as a thief, it's that, more often than not, having expectations does nothing more than bite you in the ass."
See you guys next time for Tale 34: Stars!