____/// ＴＨＥ ＴＲＵＥ ＲＵＮＥ::ＮＡＴＵＲＥThames Nerrath Prescott
The Down to Earth Thief
size=11]He may not have been walking, but Thames was feeling the aches that came with too much traveling. The cart was as confining as his orphanage was, and the various wares encased within offered very little in the way of comfort. In fact, he was fairly certain he had broken a few fragile objects when the cart hit a bump just a bit too hard. But to the thief and his partner, leg room was a small price to pay for freedom. Dolasmere quickly turned into an unsavory area for those that lived a life of crime, as everyone had become an upstanding citizen-the worst kind. Honesty, integrity, looking out for each other...a tight knit community was a thief's worst nightmare. He couldn't steal from the vigilant, and he certainly wasn't going to lower himself to being a thug and robbing people at sword point. It left a bad taste in the blonde thief just thinking about it.
"It was time for a change anyway, wasn't it Dwemir?" Thames asked his cat rhetorically. The white ball of fur remained motionless in her master's lap, which was about what the man expected. The rune bearer had considered sleeping as well, but he found himself far too excited for rest. We're certainly casting our fates to the wind, aren't we? Drifting to another city with no clue of our true destination...now that's living!
Time seemed to stretch on for an eternity. Thames' only true indication of time passing being the sunlight that shone through the small gap between the door frame and the door. It wasn't much, but after taking his pick of the merchant's wares and enjoying nearly every scrap of food in sight, there was hardly anything left to entertain the criminal duo. But two days of travel were soon met with the sounds of civilization outside of their door, perking up the thief and his cat.
"Alright Dwemir, quick and quiet. No need to attract any new attention, hm?"
A soft meow from Thames' partner signaled that she was ready to go, and a broad smile crossed the blonde man's face. He never did understand how it was that this stray cat understood him so well. Perhaps she was far smarter than he was giving her credit for? Or maybe he simply spoke in whatever dialect cats spoke in.without realizing it? Whatever the reason was, it didn't matter now. As long as they understood each other, those unsuspecting people didn't stand a chance. Pushing the door open gently with his fingertips, Dwemir hesitated for a moment before hopping out into the snow, then turned to her friend and meowed once again to let him know that it was clear. Responding with a silent nod, Thames finished opening the door and ducked into a passing crowd, disappearing with his feline friend hot on his heels.
"Excuse me, ma'am." Thames tapped the shoulder of a woman in front of him, who murmured a greeting in response. "I'm afraid I'm lost. Can you direct me to the nearest inn?"
"Why, yes I can! If you continue traveling down this road and head right, you'll hit the Black Maiden Inn! Best baked goods in all of the Capital City!"
The blonde rune bearer broke into a cold sweat, gasping and clutching his left hand tightly. Oh for the love of-...she said 'Capital City', as in the Valgarde Capital city! And here I used to think I was lucky...I guess life's trying to throw me a curve... Unable to muster up an answer, Thames kept his mouth shut. Sensing his sudden anxiety, Dwemir nudged against his partner's ankle to get him to pick her up. She may not have known exactly what his problem was, but she knew when she was needed. He scooped up the cat, brushed the snow off of her and sighed deeply as she stared up at her friend. "Dwemir, you and I might've picked the wrong place to be..."
The trek through the light snow did very little to ease the man's nerves. Despite knowing that he was practically invisible to the guards, being in the city left him on edge. Knowing that he was now in the belly of the beast was truly a terrifying thought. His actions would have to be planned meticulously, and he'd have to learn every inch of the city for possible escape routes. But he knew he couldn't do it now, especially without a hideout. Their first stop would have to be this famous inn...
The light snowfall coated Thames and his companion in a light frost that seemed unshakable no matter how many times he brushed himself off. Dolasmere got cold, but it was never chilly enough for it to snow. Now that he was in an area where it was a little colder than he was used to, he was beginning to realize that perhaps the clothing he had grown so fond of was too thin. Problems seemed to stack on top of each other since he stepped off of the merchant's cart, an action that he was slowly beginning to regret, even if Dolasmere wasn't the right place for him to be. But all of those problems seemed to melt away as he yanked open the wooden door and got a whiff of the delicious, fresh baked bread the woman had informed him of.
The small cafe was filled to the brim with travelers like Thames, looking for a place to escape the cold and enjoy some hot food from a famous inn. Letting Dwemir go, she strutted away to follow the scent of food. She pushed her way through a door and down some steps, where she began to pace back and forth in front of the oven waiting for more bread, seemingly ignorant of the sleeping woman. Upstairs, the clamor died down as the rest of the travelers took their bread and sat down, their talking replaced with the muffled sounds of chewing. With the crowd occupied with food, Thames and the innkeeper finally had a chance to chat.
"Why hello there, traveler. How can I help you today?" The innkeeper was an older gentleman, yet held a very warm and friendly face.
"I need a room in your fine establishment. I'm not sure how long I'll be staying, so I'll pay by the day. Is that alright?" Plucking a bag of coins from his pocket-one that wasn't his-Thames dropped a few on the counter, which the old innkeeper greedily scooped up.
"Why, of course my boy, of course! Stay as long as you like. I believe the room on the end is open. Just sign in here and we'll be all set." The old man reached under the counter, coming up with a large book, an inkwell and a quill. A slight frown fell upon Thames' small lips as he took the quill and dipped it into the ink.
Oh great, now I need a name just in case I end up famous here, too... After pondering for a moment, the clever thief scrawled a name he had overheard in a crowd once before, then hurried up the stairs to sort through his bag. Thames wanted to unwind before he started trying to figure out how to approach his new income source.
Location: Top floor of the Black Maiden Inn
Company: Alone
Mood: Very anxious
