[OPEN] ⧼ If you'd like to be pick-pocketed ⧽

[petitvoleur]

WHO: Shoshanna ⧼petitvoleur⧽ and YOU!
WHAT: She's out doing what she does best: stealing from unsuspecting citizens. You just might be next!
WHERE: She'll be sticking to Highcrest, Whitewood, Lochwell, and Mallow Hallow.
WHEN: April 26th.



She appears as casual as anyone else wandering around the districts today, although it's obvious she's from Highcrest, considering she's wearing a cloak, a long dress with boots, and a leather jerkin. To raise her hood would only attract suspicion, and that is something one doesn't want when one is out with the intention of cutting purses and picking pockets. Occasionally, she might bump into someone, and if this happens, she apologizes very sweetly and earnestly, and sends her unsuspecting victim on their way.

After she raids their pockets with swift hands, of course, and when she continues on her way, more often than not it's with a purse of gold and silver, or a wallet, or whatever trinkets one might be carrying on one's person. It's quite a lucrative trade, if not strictly legal, but it's obvious from the gleam in her eyes that she enjoys it because of, not in spite of, the thrill she gets from doing something risky.

Comments

[yuukaihan]

He's not worried about her, he tells himself. He knows she is capable, knows that he has trained her well, and that she has taken his lessons to heart. But this is a new town, a new world, and who knows how people here will react? The knights in Highcrest certainly have some power to dole out punishments for those who break the law, and Kurama is loathe to see his sister locked in some cell, just because she targets the wrong person or forgets the fastest way to move through the districts.

So that's the only reason he's tailing her, he tells himself, as he tracks her carefully along her route, watching her work. His hood is pulled up, to conceal his bright hair, and his green eyes are bright beneath its shadow. He might have to have a conversation with her later about noticing when people are following her, but for now he's content to hang back and keep a careful eye out, ready to help her should she require it.

[petitvoleur]

She's been doing fine, so far, but now and again she gets the nagging feeling she's being tailed. She's moving easily, walking stealthily but fluidly, trying hard not to appear as if she's being stealthy. It's a lot to think about, admittedly, but she's getting better at it. But now, she can just feel someone behind her, watching her. But she refuses to look over her shoulder, lest she attract suspicion by looking shifty.

There's a small crowd forming up ahead, and she smiles to herself. Someone's gone ahead and created a distraction for her. She edges along the perimeter of the crowd, on the pretense of getting past it, slipping her hand into pockets here and there and fishing for gold.

[yuukaihan]

She's doing all right, he has to admit - her movements are fluid, as if she's just out for a midday stroll. Some of her stumbles or bumps look a little too intentional, and Kurama makes a mental note to add other methods of purse-cutting to their conversation later. She needs to learn to simply pass by people, and still be able to slip her hands into their pockets and emerge with whatever treasures they have stored there.

He watches her angle for the edges of the crowd with some confusion, though. If she's looking for a good place to pull things from distracted citizens, a crowd is one of her best bets - better to throw herself into the middle of the fray, where everyone will be brushing up against one another constantly, and no one will think twice about sudden contact.

[petitvoleur]

Once she reaches the end of the throng of people, it becomes somewhat clearer why she chose to tackle it the way she did: she turns around and enters the crowd from the direction opposite of where she came. This not only lets her pick more pockets, but also allows her to look back behind her in hopes of seeing if she is indeed being followed—and who by.

It's subtle, but as she moves, sliding fingers into pockets here and there, she glances upward now and then, scanning the area, looking for tell-tale signs of someone who might have been tailing her. It's a bit of a clumsy way to go about this, but she's like a calf: she has to stumble around a bit before she learns to walk properly.

[yuukaihan]

Unfortunately, she won't have much luck - unwilling to be caught at the edge of a crowd when he could be going through it and doing some subtle stealing of his own, Kurama has entered the crowd, idly slipping belongings from people's pockets as he keeps on eye on his sister. Once he realizes what she's up to, he grins a little - it's clumsy, but it works, and at least now he knows that she's not quite as unobservant as he'd thought.

Still, he can't change directions, or he'll be too noticeable, so instead, he simply makes his way through the crowd in the direction they were originally traveling, then hops up onto a nearby roof to get a better view. He is, of course, now behind Emmanuelle, in the one direction she isn't looking, and it's easy enough to track her movements through the crowd.

[petitvoleur]

She presses her lips together when it becomes apparent that if there was indeed someone tailing her, they're doing an excellent job. Part of her wonders briefly if it could be her brother—but no, surely he has better things to do than follow her around, making sure she doesn't make a mess. It makes her uneasy, not knowing, but she'll just have to be especially careful.

As she exits the crowd, substantially richer—not that it means much here, but she's okay with the fact that they've essentially become magpies hoarding trinkets—she decides to try a different tactic. She pulls her long, glossy hair out from where she's got it tucked beneath her cloak, and takes a moment to make her expression as worried and afraid as possible. Then, she approaches a man selling produce alongside one of the buildings.

"Excuse me, sir, I've lost my younger brother. He was here but a moment ago, but I can't find him anywhere, and—"

Her words are lost in a sob as she presses a hand to her eyes, and it's to her credit that it doesn't sound forced in the least. The man draws closer, concerned, inquiring as to the appearance of her alleged younger brother, and where he was last seen, and putting a fatherly arm around Emmanuelle. This gives her the perfect opportunity to press her face into his shoulder, distraught, and worm a hand down to his thankfully baggy trousers pocket.

[yuukaihan]

Tracking her from the rooftops now has another advantage - he can get quite a bit closer than he could before, close enough to hear her speaking when she stops again. That's one thing he picked up very early on in his career: no one ever looks up. You can get as close as you want, practically on top of people, and they'll never see you.

He crouches in the shadow of the chimney, listening to Emmanuelle spin her tale. At the mention of a younger brother, he can't help but laugh softly, and he edges carefully towards the end of the roof and peers over, far enough to see her work her magic on her unsuspecting victim. He has to appreciate this particular tactic - it's one advantage she has over him, being a woman. There's not much Kurama can do on this particular front - unless he picks his targets very well.

[petitvoleur]

Her hand closes around something leathery and weighted in his pocket, and carefully she extracts it, redoubling her efforts in wailing against the man's shoulder incomprehensibly. She stuffs it in her cloak easily, and then looks up through her lashes, catching sight of a face, jewel-bright green eyes peering over the edge of the rooftop above her. Her mouth is hidden, but it's apparent from the crinkle of her eyes that she's smiling. Of course.

She pulls away, hiccuping and wiping imaginary tears from her eyes, looking distraught. "Thank you, you've been very kind. I—I'm sure I'll find him soon. It's likely he's hiding from me, the rascal." She has to fight to keep the grin from her face as she turns away and feigns searching the crowd for her imaginary younger brother.

[yuukaihan]

Nodding, Kurama slides back into the shadow of the chimney - she'll be all right now, and whatever she pulled from the vendor looked like it might be particularly interesting. He'll keep tailing her, but now that she knows he's there, perhaps she'll be a little less concerned about possible ramifications from her actions - and about whoever might be following her.

It never hurts to have an extra pair of eyes looking out for you, after all.

[reno4prez]

Reno is skulking around Highrest people-watching, which he finds himself doing quite a lot these days, since there really isn't much else for him to do. He tends to stick to the shadows of the narrow alleys around the taverns, lurking back against walls and piles of crates or barrels - all places where he can keep a good view of the street, but most people aren't likely to notice him. He's directionless, for the time being, the cigarette butts piling up around his feet in his little hideaways, but at least he can feel like he's fulfilling some sort of vague mission by keeping an eye on things. He watches people - he notes their faces and their habits, the times they get into scuffles and their relations with the knights who prowl the town - he files away all sorts of details for later use simply out of habit, but hey. Maybe sometime all those tidbits will come in handy.

Normally, he's a passive observer. Today, however, a cloaked figure just happens to bump into someone not ten feet away from where Reno's standing, and his sharp eyes don't miss the slight of hand that leaves the cloaked figure in possession of a shiny new pocket watch. The woman - he can tell she's a woman now, from the glimpse of her figure he gets when she backs up to apologize - most likely presumed that the alleyway was empty, but it was clear as day from his angle what had just happened.

He grins, flicking his cigarette to the ground and sliding off the wall to trail after her, letting her get a ways down the cobblestone street before he closes in behind her.

"Not bad, for a rookie."

Okay, so he doesn't really know if she's new at thieving or not, but he's going to take a wild guess.

[petitvoleur]

[She wheels, hadn't been expecting anyone to speak to her, especially not from behind, and she's immediately irritated that she didn't notice him. How long had he been behind her? She keeps her expression neutral, but doesn't try to play innocent.]

I'm not a rookie.

[Not really, anyway. She's no master thief, but she's shown she at least has an aptitude for her trade, and she makes fewer mistakes by the day. Whomever this red-haired delinquent is, he can mind his own business.

I'm just...gonna leave this here for later.

[yuukaihan]

From his perch on the rooftops, Kurama sees the shadow detach itself from the alley to trail after Emmanuelle, and he's about to launch himself from the roofs in some suitably heroic manner when the light catches that flaming red hair. There's only (one) other person Kurama knows with hair like that, and he doesn't think it's in Reno to actually do his sister any harm, so instead, he simply tails them both from rooftop to rooftop, finding his way with the surefooted ease of someone who's done this many a time.

When Reno finally draws Emmanuelle's attention, Kurama can't help but shake his head - she'd picked up on him, but not on a stranger? Perhaps knowing he's tailing her has made her slightly less aware of her surroundings - a dangerous habit to get into. He can't help the grin that tugs on the corners of his mouth, though - he's interested in seeing how this particular encounter plays out.

[ghostly_stutter]

[Chloe is meandering around, keeping to herself and observing. Large blue eyes seem to take in everything and nothing at once as she tries to get a feel for this place and its inhabitants. She tries not to stand too close to anyone, giving off a vibe of both light uncertainty and somewhat cool demeanor. Every now and again she might see something that has her frown and purse her lips, or relax into a light-hearted smile.

If she notices the pick-pocket nearby, it's only in a passing glance.]

[petitvoleur]

[Odds are small that Chloe would have noticed Shoshanna, mostly because the little thief has been tailing her. She's obviously new, and obviously unfamiliar with her surroundings, which puts Shoshanna—or, as she's been calling herself, Emmanuelle—at a distinct advantage. She follows at a safe distance, watching her movements, trying to catch any signs that she's got valuables with her—a hand over a pocket, perhaps, or a persistent need to check that her belongings are still there. Part of her, admittedly, is also having fun seeing how long she can follow the girl without being found out. It's like a game, for a thief.]

[ghostly_stutter]

[In the past year Chloe has been used to being on the run. In hiding. Tracked down by supernaturals who wanted their experiment back. Her nerves are still a bit on edge--but here, it's for an entirely new reason. She doubted the St. Cloud Cabal would be pulled to a place like this. It was the unknown that has Chloe on edge, now.

And she's still seeking answers.

Moving along the different shops and vendors, Chloe's attention is only for objects of sense--and use--which may seem odd for an older teen. The jewelry she passes doesn't get a single glance. Emmanuelle might notice that Chloe doesn't seemed worried at all about stolen valuables. There aren't any money bulges in her tight jeans pockets, though there is an outline of a switch-blade. Otherwise she only has on a cotton shirt and thin, zip-up sweatshirt--also with empty pockets.

No, the thing she's clutching in her hand has no real monetary value to her--it's something much, much more. A thick amulet hanging on a long chain along her neck. It's a deep amethyst in color, and seems to give Chloe a large amount of comfort.]

[petitvoleur]

[The thief is about to give up and decide it's a lost cause, when her target turns and she catches sight of something around her neck. You can practically see hearts in Emmanuelle's eyes at the sight. Oh, she wants it, she wants to take it home and admire it, along with the countless other trinkets her and her brother have stolen since they came here.

So she follows with renewed vigor, trying to figure out the best way to slip that pretty thing from around the girl's neck.]

[ghostly_stutter]

[As Chloe walks around and becomes more comfortable with her surroundings the hand clutching her amulet will drop to rest at her side. It is clear her mind is not specifically on her necklace--but her body's movements are more out of a comfortable habit.

Another somewhat odd behavior is that Chloe will seldom look up to make eye-contact with anyone. She'll seemingly keep her distance without overly appearing to be doing so.

A necromancer doesn't wish to be outed in a busy area by making a wrong move and speaking with the dead, after all.]

[petitvoleur]

[Interesting. Very interesting. It seems to be something she feels protective over, that much is clear, but her target must be feeling more at ease, as she finally lets go of it. Shoshanna scrambles up onto the roof of the nearest building, following the girl from the rooftops instead. One thing her brother taught her: people never look up.

She wonders if she can get low enough to pluck the amulet from around the girl's neck. Maybe, if she had a stick, or something...]

[ghostly_stutter]

[Don't look up. That was something Chloe had learned as well, on the run. The difference here was the fact that she was usually hiding in trees, and there weren't any trees in the plaza, so Chloe felt rather out of her element and back in civilization. She was not used to so many people being around, however. The sounds and movements and transactions going on were distracting.

Moving along, Chloe stops to admire a wolf carving. It was small--a rough approximation of the animal--but it was a wolf all the same. A smile of delight crosses her face, and she takes a step closer to the booth. The dark wood it is crafted from reminds her of a certain surly someone, and a bit of a smirk crosses her lips as she wonders how Derek would react to receiving such a thing.]