Hey, guys! Welcome back to Hear a Tale! First things first, review time!

Thanks so much to CitrusChickadee for reviewing! I never miss an opportunity for some quality Therion trolling XD Glad you enjoyed the Prim/Therion from last chapter, and hopefully you're ready for a bit more this week! ;)

With that, on with the tale!

Relevant Events: Previous Chapter

36. Precious Treasure

"So, what do you think?"

"...I think you didn't quite understand the assignment." Therion's visible eye was half-lidded and his voice was dull as he scrutinized the outfit Primrose had chosen for their exercise. It was essentially a violet version of her usual crimson dancing regalia, with the only real additions being short sleeves and a pair of lavender gloves. She had forgone some of her jewelry, true, but her golden hairpiece, her regal face, and her annoyingly distracting midriff were all still on full display.

He wasn't going to lie and say that she didn't look good. It was just that it wasn't a very suitable outfit for a pickpocketing lesson.

Primrose, however, seemed unbothered by his blunt criticism. "Oh, really?" she asked innocently, though he knew there was no way she didn't understand what he was talking about. "Whatever would make you say that?"

Therion pinched the bridge of his nose, closing his eyes against the headache that was threatening to creep in already. Where do I even begin…?

"First of all…you do realize that 'purple' isn't synonymous with 'thief,' right?" he asked, giving her a flat look. "Just because I wear it, doesn't mean you have to."

The dancer smirked impishly. "Come now, isn't it more fun if we match? It's the same principle of our dancing practice a few weeks ago…the clothes need to be just right if we're to have any hope of sinking comfortably into a new role."

"...I don't see what that has to do with just the color purple, but…sure. Whatever makes you feel better about life." He shook his head. "In any case…the real problem isn't the color, it's the outfit itself. You understand that thieving is about subtlety, don't you? About not drawing any unnecessary attention?"

"Hmm…that's funny." Primrose raised her eyes to the sky, exaggeratingly tapping a fingertip to her chin as though in thought. "I could have sworn that a certain someone once told me that misdirection was the most important aspect of thievery. Now where could I have heard that from…?"

Therion's eye twitched briefly before he took a deep breath to ground himself. "...okay, you've got me. I did say that. But, there's a difference between misdirection and essentially holding up a sign that screams, 'Look at me! Look at me right now!' in capital letters."

"A fair assertion. However, consider this…if you saw someone dressed the way I am on the road, would you immediately assume they were planning on sneaking up on and robbing you?"

"...I probably shouldn't say what I'd expect someone dressed the way you are to be doing in the middle of the road."

Primrose's eyebrows lifted, but rather than showing any sign of offense, she merely laughed. "Precisely. I'd imagine looking like a thief wouldn't exactly be the best way to persuade a target that I'm not one, would it?"

Therion sighed heavily. "...you are so lucky we're just going to practice on Cyrus instead of actually trying to steal from anyone."

"Mhm…" The dancer glanced across their makeshift outdoor camp, where, keeping himself busy like the rest of the travelers, Cyrus was meticulously sorting through the notes he'd begun taking a while back to keep track of all of their currently outstanding objectives for their respective journeys. "Perhaps I am. Oblivious as he can be, one couldn't ask for an easier mark."

"Everyone starts small," Therion said with a shrug. "Though I have to admit, if we were going to rob Cyrus for real, we'd have been especially lucky to find a target like him. Scholars are usually carrying important things on them - magical items, the occasional gemstone, and even books can be sold off for a solid amount of leaves. Only problem? Most of them guard their things like a dragon's hoard. Cyrus, meanwhile…I've stolen his cloak right off his shoulders before, and he's only noticed it about an hour after I've put it on myself and held a full conversation with him."

Primrose laughed slightly. "That sounds like Cyrus. So much intelligence…so little street smarts."

"Exactly. So, this should be a good starting point for someone who's never done this before." Therion eyed her outfit briefly one more time before shaking his head and deciding to drop the matter. "Anyway, the real important thing is, do you remember the tips I gave you?"

"You insult me, Therion," Primrose chuckled. "Of course I remember. For one…never look at your hands once they're in someone's pocket."

The thief nodded. "Right. Ideally, you don't want a mark to see you at all, but if that's not possible, you're going to want to keep their attention off of what you're doing with your hands. If you're looking, it's only a matter of time before they look too. You don't want to let your eyes give you away."

"Of course. I suppose you're lucky that you only have to worry about that half as much as other people? Given the bangs, and all."

"I wasn't aware other people could move their eyes independently of one another," Therion answered dryly, though he self consciously rubbed at the left side of his face. "It's a singular movement all the same. Don't lose your concentration and slip up even for a second."

"Mhm…understood."

"Right, now…next tip, go."

"Never be afraid to back out if things aren't going well," Primrose answered. "Not a bad philosophy for life in general, I would say…especially if retreat is the difference between a missed opportunity and a life behind bars."

"Or a severed hand, for that matter," Therion added. "Obviously we won't have to worry about any of that here, since it's not like Cyrus is going to throw us in prison for using him as practice, but in the real world, one of the most important things for a thief to know is when not to steal something. If we get caught one too many times, then that's it. See the inside of a cell often enough, and the guards'll start getting sick of you, to the point where they'll look for a more permanent solution to the problem. Or, of course, they might just stick you with one of these." He held up his right wrist, Fool's Bangle clanking lightly. "Depends on the town, I'd say, which is another thing any prospective thief needs to know."

"I must say, this is a far more complex business than I'd originally imagined," Primrose mused. "To think that an occupation so far outside the law still requires all of these rules…"

"I don't know that I'd say 'requires.' Technically speaking, you don't need to follow a single rule at all to pull off a successful theft. It's just that the smarter you are about it, the less likely you are to get caught. And if you get caught, well…let's just say it's not great for job security when all of the city guards in Orsterra know your face."

The dancer arched an eyebrow. "Surely you can't be speaking from experience?"

Therion smirked. "Not from my own experience, no. Aside from the incident in Ravus Manor, I've only ever been caught a couple of times, and even then, I've always nicked the cell keys from the guards before they even had time to memorize my face. It took some trial and error, sure…but I'm not the sort of thief who allows wanted posters to be made of me."

"I see…a Master Thief through and through, then. I suppose I should consider myself lucky to be learning from the best, hm?"

"Heh…damn right." Therion nodded at her. "Anyway, I'm not gonna make you rattle off everything I taught you…but there's one more thing I need to make sure you know - above everything else, remember to play to your strengths. If you can't cut a purse without tugging on someone's belt, don't do it. If you can't step lightly, don't try to sneak into a house with creaky floorboards. You can always train, sure, but serious thieving is not a risk you want to take for the sake of a 'learning experience.' Always better to improve yourself in controlled situations, so you don't get yourself killed just for being too green. In the meantime…know what you're good at, and use that to your advantage. Make sense?"

The smile on Primrose's face was downright devilish. "Oh, I think I know exactly what you mean. My usual methods I made use of back in Sunshade may not work on someone as romantically challenged as Cyrus…but I'm sure I can put on a suitable performance to get the job done."

"Whatever you say," Therion snorted. "If nothing else, I'm sure it'll be entertaining. Remember, this is just for fun, low stakes, and the only consequences of getting caught are that Cyrus will be confused, and I'm going to laugh. Still, since you're 'learning from the best,' like you said, I have high expectations. Try to swipe the most valuable thing you can find on Cyrus, alright?"

"Very well." Primrose nodded and sank into a graceful bow. "Before long, you'll have the mark's most precious treasure in hand, my esteemed teacher."

"...you are having entirely too much fun with this."

"Nothing wrong with that, is there?" She tossed him a wink before sauntering off across the camp, calling over her shoulder, "Wish me luck!"

Therion rolled his eyes, but he still couldn't help but smirk as he watched her approach Cyrus. "This," he murmured to himself, "is going to be hilarious."

Whether that was going to be because of Cyrus or Primrose, however, was still up in the air.

Though he kept his eye fixed in the direction of the dancer and scholar, Therion soon became aware of a set of footsteps nearing him from his left side. He would ordinarily have balked at the idea of a allowing someone to advance towards him in his blind spot, but the casual humming in a familiar voice told him that there was nothing he needed to worry about.

"Hey, Therion," Tressa greeted him as she came to a stop at his side, "what're you standing there, smirking about?"

"Oh, nothing much," he replied, turning slightly so that he could at least see the merchant out of the corner of his good eye, "just an improvised comedy routine."

Tressa's eyebrows lifted, and she followed his gaze with a confused frown. Across their campsite, Primrose had successfully claimed Cyrus' attention, apparently under the guise of getting his opinion on her newest dance routine. She whirled around him, ensuring that his eyes remained locked on the long, pink silk scarf she had seemingly produced out of nowhere. Even from a distance, Cyrus looked mildly bewildered, though his impeccable manners forbade him from doing anything but acquiescing with whatever Primrose had asked him to do.

"...what is happening?" Tressa finally asked, her brow knit. "Why's Primrose dressed like that? Is she trying to become a thief too, or something?"

"Wh - ?" Therion turned to stare at her incredulously. "How the hell did you know that's what she was going for?"

Tressa shrugged. "She's wearing purple."

The thief looked down at his own lavender shawl and violet scarf briefly before lifting his head and scowling at Tressa anew. "You do realize that I don't set the fashion standards for every thief in existence, right?"

"Oh, well thank the gods for that."

"...shut up, brat."

Tressa giggled, then returned her gaze to Primrose and Cyrus. "So if she is dressed up as a thief, then what is she doing over there, messing with the professor? She's not trying to steal from him, is she?"

"Just as a fun bit of practice," Therion said with a shrug. "She asked me to show her a few thieving tricks, so I did, and we're testing out what she's learned on Cyrus. And before you ask, no, we're not going to actually keep anything she may or may not get from him, so you can watch and laugh without offending your 'merchant's honor,' or whatever."

"Well that's a relief, at least," Tressa huffed, arms crossed. "The last thing we need is your thiefly ways to start corrupting the rest of us."

"I…somehow doubt that that's an actual word, but I don't care enough to find out for sure." He shook his head. "And if I do somehow end up 'corrupting' anyone, it'll have been their choice. It's not like I go around handing out flyers to recruit people to my 'thieving cause.'"

"Hey, I'm sure someone's done it before! But, anyway…" Tressa looked up at him. "What's Primrose trying to get from him? Did you tell her to go for something specific?"

For an honorable merchant so adamantly against thieves, Tressa was awfully interested in their little robbery practice exercise, but Therion wasn't about to start up another tedious argument by commenting. Instead, he simply answered, "Not really. All I asked her to do was to get the most valuable thing she could find on him - his 'most precious treasure,' as she decided to call it. Not that I'm expecting him to be carrying anything particularly noteworthy right at this moment, but…eh, I'm sure he's got at least something good that we can swipe and taunt him with later."

"That just seems…mean," Tressa said flatly. Then, she sighed. "But…I guess if you're going to give whatever it is back, there's really no harm done…and I will make sure you give it back to him!"

"Be my guest." Therion's slouched posture perked up a bit as he watched Primrose give an elegant bow in Cyrus' direction, then begin to calmly walk back to where the thief and merchant were waiting for her. "Looks like you may get to make good on that promise sooner than you think. Let's see what she managed to get…"

When Primrose reached them, a smug smile on her face, she dipped her head in greeting towards Tressa. "Hello, Tressa, dear. You heard about our little game, I take it?"

"Sure did," Therion interrupted before the merchant could speak, "and she's even offered her services as an enforcer, to make sure Cyrus gets back whatever you got off of him. We're not to be trusted without supervision, apparently."

"Is that so?" Primrose chuckled.

"Not entirely!" Tressa protested, pouting. "I trust you, Primrose. It's him who can't be trusted!" She jabbed a finger in Therion's direction, who simply scoffed at the girl's insistence.

"Name one time I've ever actually stolen anything from any of the seven of you," he deadpanned. "Go on, I'll wait."

"Er…um…well…I think there was one time when…? Or…no, maybe you…? Argh, I'm sure there's something! I just can't think right now!"

"Uh huh. Sure."

"Alright, alright, settle down, you two," Primrose cut in, amused. "Wouldn't the two of you like to see my stolen treasure?"

"Go right ahead," said Therion, "unless Tressa needs to avert her eyes first for the sake of plausible deniability."

"Oh, shut up, Therion," Tressa snapped back. "If it's just a game, then it's fine!"

Primrose laughed, then removed her silk scarf from where she'd previously draped it across her shoulders. "Very well, then," she said, "here are the spoils of my little escapade."

The dancer pulled the scarf away with a flourish, revealing the object she had concealed within its folds. Resting in her outstretched hand was a familiar, bunched-up piece of ruffled white cloth - Cyrus' cravat, no doubt, stolen straight from the scholar's neck.

Therion raised his eyebrows, half impressed and half confused. "Okay…huh. I've gotta admit that it takes skill to be able to get at that without Cyrus noticing. Though…I did say to go for the most valuable item you could find…and if you were going for the throat - literally - anyway, why not try for that gemstone clasp he's got on his cloak?"

Rather than showing any disappointment at his criticism, Primrose's eyes simply sparkled with an even greater mischief. "Because, darling," she drawled, "a bit of misdirection goes a long way in reaching your actual target."

With the same sweeping motion she'd used before to remove the scarf, she whisked the cravat away, unveiling the small brown pouch that had been hidden underneath.

"Ohhh…" Tressa looked at the pouch, eyes wide. "Is that Cyrus' coin purse?"

"Indeed it is," Primrose replied, grinning. "I'm afraid he wasn't carrying anything more valuable on him, so…it would seem that this will have to suffice as the precious treasure I promised."

Therion gave a low whistle, nodding in approval. "Well, now. Guess I have to take back what I said - not bad at all, especially for your first shot at it." He folded his arms and leaned back, tossing the dancer an easy smirk. "We'll make a Master Thief out of you yet."

"Hey!" Tressa exclaimed. "I told you, no corrupting everyone!"

"Don't worry, Tressa, I'm not planning on making a habit of pickpocketing maliciously," said Primrose. Her smile was gentle while she was facing the young merchant, but quickly turned wicked once her eyes landed on Therion. "Though, what's life without a little corruption every now and then? This was fun…I wouldn't mind doing it again sometime."

The thief attempted to remain aloof, but even he couldn't keep the grin off of his face as he nodded. "Likewise. Maybe a certain little merchant would work as our next target…"

"Hey! I'm still right here, you know!"

"Perhaps when the time in right," Primrose laughed as Tressa fumed. "For now, though…I'll be right back. I'm sure that by now, Cyrus is wondering where his things have gone. See you in a bit." With a final wink at Therion, she walked off, lightly swinging Cyrus' coin purse back and forth by its strings.

"You're a bad influence on her," Tressa grumbled, glaring sideways at Therion.

"I don't know about that," he replied absently, watching Primrose stroll away to return her stolen goods. "I'm starting to think the corruption is mutual."

See you guys next time for Tale 37: Eyes!