Never Trust Appearances

[Fyra]

Her eyebrow's pulled together as she searched. Nothing on his arm, so her hands pressed over his chest in a zig-zag pattern. She passed over the one on his neck once, and then frowned. There was a string around his neck. Her hands pressed down, following it, until she found the one at his neck. and then she smiled brightly. Her success encouraged her once more, and she continued to search him, forgetting that she was running her hands over a man she found so very attractive and focusing once more upon the fact that she was simply searching for coins.

Eventually, she reached his belt, and was unsure. He had no obvious pouches hanging from it, but that didn't mean there wasn't a hidden one. But the belt was close to... there. She swallowed, blushing as she tried to not look at his groin. Her hands ran along the side of his hips, fingers slipping over the top of the belt, seeking for strings that secured anything to his person.

It took her several moments before the one tucked behind his belt buckle was found, and she grinned, crowing. "Success! I win! She smiled up at Kaleb throwing her arms around his neck.

[Kaleb Morrington]

He had so many issues trying to keep his paws off her it wasn't even funny. He managed though, being the gentleman thief that he was. Never mind she was his girlfriend...lover...thing. He was just contemplating their relationship status when her arms were thrown around his neck and she was squealing. Ahhhh she found them~

"That's my girl!" Kaleb congratulated, bending to hug her tight, lift her and spin her around. "See I knew you could do it! So how about we do some shopping then, aye? Go get us some food and maybe a lovely dress or necklace for a lovely lady?" He'd stepped back after setting her on her feet, and now bent to kiss her knuckles, his eyes gleaming in mischief and adoration. She was the one who wanted to be wined and dined, so she'd get it... but she'd have to learn that she's to meet him in the middle... he just didn't mind waiting for her to catch up.

"Alright then love, do you want to go as my beautiful girlfriend, wife, whatever... oooor as my pet polecat and see if you can watch and get an idea on how I pick-pocket?"

[Fyra]

She squealed slightly as his arms lifted her up and he spun. Moments later she was on her own feet once more. Her cheeks reddened at the term of "girlfriend" and even more so as he said "wife". Her voice was small. "I probably should go as a polecat and watch how you pickpocket." Fyra ducked her head a little, brushing hair behind her ear. "Best that I get a hold of how to do it as soon as I can..." It brought up a note of wondering though. Would she be leaving him, after he taught her how to survive the streets? After the things that had happened between them already? "Do we leave now?"

She was a little excited, and it could be seen in her chocolate eyes. While Fyra had never been particularly fond of shopping, as some girls were, it was something she never got to do anymore, since she hadn't been a respectable citizen anymore.

[Kaleb Morrington]

"We leave whenever you so desire my love." He purred, kissing her softly. He hadn't MEANT to go deeper, but she'd just been touching him all over and he's been SUCH a good boy... so his hands pulled her closer as he bowed her backwards and kissed her deeply, slowly, drinking her in and savoring. He made a noise in the back of his throat as his hand slid up to tangle in her hair, his other sliding down to pull a thigh up around his waist.

Ohhh Changers... he was drowning in her...

[Fyra]

Her heart melted at his voice, and her body melted against his as he pulled her closer in his kiss. But part of her determinedly didn't lose focus. If she couldn't keep them on track, well, he certainly wouldn't. He was all too happy to lose track of time while kissing her. As much as she liked the idea of just continually kissing him for however long as the world passed them by, she knew that eventually there would be an awakening from that dream, and she wanted to be ready for it when it came. So, she would not allow herself to simply fall into his arms. Besides, that would probably lead right back to... She didn't want to think of it.

Fyra kissed him back for a few moments, and then cheeks flushed and heart pounding, she pushed him away slightly, breaking her lips from hers. "Well, unless you've other things planned then... She swallowed. "Best we do things as soon as we can, yes?" She was already beginning to focus, her skin starting to itch.

[Kaleb Morrington]

His little polecat was getting used to his kisses... he'd have to change that... later. He grinned and pulled back, pulling her with him, only to lift her under her arms, holding on easily as she shifted until he had a polecat in his hands. Shifting her into one hand and holding her close to his chest, Kaleb moved to gather what he'd need. Cloak, bag, more bishani. He shifted Fy to rest on his shoulder as he slid his cloak on. After a moment, Kaleb bent and slid daggers from a table into his boot, into his sleeves (for those with sheaths) and into his belt.

Comfortable with the weaponry, Kaleb moved out of the house and into the street, drawing his hood up against the wind. He glanced up, frowning. "Looks like it'll rain..." he murmured before jogging smoothly down the street and into the business district. People bellowed their wares, whores showed themselves and thieves snuck through the crowd with nary a look. This... this was Kaleb's scene. He reached up and nabbed Fyra, gently lowering her to his pocket, where she could see his hands best. As she slid into the material, Kaleb stood still, pretending to eye some material as she situated herself. Once she was set, Kaleb began his prowl.

He slid through the crowd, his hands ignoring the poor and mediocre. Except... aaahh. Kaleb's eyes zoned in on a more ragged man- too ragged. The dirt wasn't natural, it was smeared, and those bags and rumples in his clothing was natural. He paused. The man was a goldmine... but there was no way he could reach- Fy. He slid till he leaned against a wall, seemingly just resting or thinking, before dipping his hand into his pocket to draw Fy out. "I might need a hand." He murmured. "A man I'm going to bump into, he looks broke, but he's not. If you think you're okay with it, I'll bump into the guy. I would like you to jump off me and distract the guy, maybe nip under his clothes and get the bags he's got in there. My gut's telling he's got a couple fortunes on him." His voice was a bare murmur, but he knew she could hear him. And so he waited for her to nod or shake her head, all the while keeping a discreet eye on the man.

[Fyra]

It was strange, shifting while being held. It was as though her skin wouldn't stay still. But it was only a few moments of concentration before Kaleb's hands were grasped around her small ribs and they were preparing to leave. She balanced on his shoulders, her slender body wrapping around the back of his neck with ease. When they reached the market place, she took great care to settle comfortably. Who knew how long she might be in his pocket?

She kept her eyes on his hands and the people they moved past, but so far they had touched nobody. It wasn't until she felt him lean against a wall and pull her from his pocket that she perked her ears towards Kaleb himself, wondering what was going on. They were thieving, weren't they? Oh. Target was a hard one. Even for him? Apparently.

With a few blinks, she thought for a moment, and then nodded. She could easily distract somebody. Fear rose though. What if she got stepped on? She squashed it down, and waited for Kaleb to bump into the target he wanted her to distract.

[Kaleb Morrington]

While he knew he could've robbed the guy alone - he wouldn't have gotten as much as he knew he could with Fy's help. "Remember. Under his clothes, cut the binds, there should be plenty of Bishani. When you're done, go up my pant leg, I'll try to resist shaking you off." The last bit was a joke, accented by a wink. He dipped his hand which Fy still rested on, under his cloak and he moved through the crowd, waiting until the man moved in front of an alley. it wasn't easy, but there he was- Kaleb faked a stumble, falling into the man and pushing them both into the alley. They wouldn't be bothered there...

Sure enough, as he'd asked, Fyra began zipping across the mans body, causing his to shriek. in disgust and terror. Right, poor. The poor had no issues with rodents - they lived with them. A bag dropped, and a quick hand movement had it in Kalebs pocket before the man noticed it missing. Quickly Kaleb acted as though he were trying to catch Fyra - help the man as it were. Truth was, every time Kaleb's hand touched the man in an attempt to 'swat' Fy, a bag would disappear off the man's body and appear in one of Kaleb's many pockets.

He couldn't take them all though - that would be too obvious. There was something odd about the bags too - they were almost too heavy to be bishani. So he managed to catch Fy, assuring the man he'd 'take care of it', and scuttled off, pretending to be sickened himself. He'd just disappeared into a dark alley when he heard the man's horrified discovery. "GONE! They're ALL GONE!!!" All eh? Seemed like the man had a few decoys. Wonder what we stole... Kaleb wondered, slipping further into the alley to avoid the ruckus before peering into a bag. His heart stopped as his eyes caught the glint and shimmer of something he thought he'd gotten rid of. Gems. Sapphires, rubies, emeralds! Oh Changers... where the hell was he going to fence these....!? Unless...

He looked down at his little polecat. No one knew her. IF he bought her some fabulous clothes... IF he could teach her how to act like a noblewoman... maybe... just maybe... "Love, I've got a massive idea... but I think for now, we'd best get our shopping done. First, though, we're going to drop these off. Then I'll give you some proper lessons, get some food and whatnot, then I'll throw ya my devious plot over a lovely candlelit dinner." He lifted the polecat and kissed her on the nose before moving through the crowd again, Fy propped against his shoulder since nothing exciting would happen (hopefully).

He made it through the crowd easily enough, managing to slip into 'his' house without being spotted. He crouched and set Fy on the ground. "I'm going to have to ask you to stay here. It's not that I don't trust you, I do with my life, but if you're caught by some nasties some time down the road, then they can't hurt you for info you don't have." He stroked her head and down her back to tug her tail gently. "I'll be right back." And disappeared swiftly into the house. Silently he slid into the cellar, padding around until he found the loose brick he wanted. Sliding it free he slid the gem pouches into a larger bag (for now) and slid it into the hole. Brick back in place, Kaleb slid up the stairs and onto the main level, where he walked easily to his love.

"Right. Back to the original plan." He winked. Bowing, he scooped her up and slid her into his pocket once more before heading out. He did some picking along the way, dropping small pouches of bishani in on Fy for her to sort into a larger pouch, making the movements a little more clear than usual. He didn't WANT her to have to pick-pocket anymore, but it would still prove to be a valid and useful skill one day, possibly.

Pockets reasonably full, he made his way into the market, glad he'd changed his cloak in the house as he watched guards patrol by. He bought more than enough groceries, and eyed the jeweler vendor as they passed it. Home they went, Kaleb tired but excited to unpack and get their meal sorted - he had a hell of a plan to share!

[Fyra]

Safyra shook with nervousness. But she gathered up her courage and just as Kaleb bumped into the man, leaped onto him, and ducked underneath his clothing. It was disgusting. She felt as though grease and dirt would soak though her fur until she was filthy. But it didn't.It was several long moments, but as she poked out of the man's neck, Kaleb's hands wrapped around her. What happened to running up his pant leg? But this was acceptable.

They went back to the house. She waited for him, and then as they went back out and actually went shopping, she watched him pick pockets. It was actually quite interesting. But she was never quite sure if she would ever be able to make her fingers move like he did.

Finally, they were back in their current house. She slid down his body, and then happily made her way over to her clothing, shifting. It took a while. Fyra was slowly becoming used to the feeling of being in a different body. She actually enjoyed it a little bit. So small, and easily able to escape. She finally slid back into her clothing and then moved to help Kaleb. "So, what's for dinner?"

[Kaleb Morrington]

"Stew." He responded cheerily. "I wanna finish off with the rest of our old stuff." He cooked cheerily, even singing at points. It didn't seem to take long for the meal to cook, and so he set the table quickly and let the stew simmer for a bit. "I'll be right back." He murmured before kissing her warmly and slipping away, whistling an odd tune. He came back with a pouch in hand and quickly served the stew up, setting the pouch on the table as he worked.

It was only once he served the meal that the man tore a chunk off his bread and watched his love eat for a bit, eyes glittering in excitement. He remembered his own dish, soon enough, and dug in heartily, still unable to fully believe his good fortune. It would only get better if Fy agreed to his plan. She was like his little lucky charm... really he aught to marry her so she didn't slip away. The thought had images of that jewelery vendor pop into his mind again. He nibbled on the heel of his bread in thought. Probably too soon for her, after all, there was only so much the girl seemed to be able to take in a week.

Of course... maybe if he bought the house, offered a stable household... gah it was like watching a sog chase its tail, around and around!! He snapped back to attention when he noticed Fy had finished her meal. "Right, sorry, the pouch. Plan. Why don't you take a peek?" When she did, Kaleb smiled at her reaction. "I was thinking about selling these for obscene amounts of Bishani. Issue is, everyone knows me, so they know the items aren't technically mine." He smiled easily.

"This is where you might come in. See, you're so proper and lovely, I figured if we dressed you up and added a bit of that gunk that women wear, on their faces," he gestured around his eyes and lips, "then you could pass as a real noblewoman. A noblewoman who needs to sell a few gems to keep her poor alcoholic or gambling husband and yourself out of the poorhouse." His grin was wicked. "Of course, after a bit we miiiight have to travel to other cities to pull off this story, but hey! Keeps you from having to pick-pocket and we still get to make a crazy amount of bishani. What'cha say love?"

[Fyra]

Watching Kaleb cook was soothing. She sat down at the rickety table, and sighed slightly. The excitement of the day was a little too much, even now. And although not much dirt and grease had rubbed onto her, some had, so now she wanted a bath. After dinner, she thought, she'd go and take one. It would help her relax.

Part of her wondered at the pouch that was sitting on the table, but she didn't touch it. He obviously had something in his mind, but she wasn't sure he'd appreciate her looking at everything before he had a chance to present. He was making her dinner, it was only polite that she wait to hear what he had to say about this odd plan of his. She grew even more curious, as he seemed so excited that he almost didn't eat himself, but rather watched her for a bit before starting to eat. Now her own curiosity was growing.

Fyra frowned slightly as he told her his plan, once they were done eating. She stared at the jewels, reaching out as if to touch, but not quite daring. "Me, a noblewoman? I don't know, Kaleb..." It suddenly rushed back to her that she had only known this man a few days. He had picked her up off of the street, for whatever reason he had given her, but how could she know that his reason wasn't just a lie?

Insecure, she sat back in her chair. "I don't really like the idea of moving to other cities... Marn is home...and safe, even if I was disowned... out there...who knows what's going on..."

[Kaleb Morrington]

Kaleb's dancing eyes calmed, his excitement dying slightly. Of course she was scared, insecure... deceit was almost as bad as theft. Inwardly Kaleb berated himself, so damn stupid. One fucking step at a time man, give her some TIME. "I didn't mean immediately love, the moving bit wouldn't be for a long while. The longer we can stay here, the better." He reached over and rubbed her knuckles with his thumb as he grasped her hand. He stood, kissing her hand as he moved, before taking the dishes and clearing them.

"I'll sell some of the gems in a couple weeks, give the guards some time to calm down." He smiled and winked. "Don't want them all up in arms over little ol' me." He cleaned the dishes with quick efficiency, mentally cursing. How to sell them? He couldn't go to quite a few of his contacts at the moment - his last jewel heist had not gone well and as such few of them would speak to him now. He might have to go out of Marn... he reflected, his gut clenching at the thought that passed his mind after the realization. He couldn't bring Fyra.

If she changed her mind and they recognized her with a thief. Kaleb closed his eyes a moment, thinking hard. She could come as a polecat, but she'd be spending the time entirely that way, something he doubted she'd like. Plus she made it clear she didn't want to leave Marn. But he didn't want her thinking he was about to leave her. Fuck, fuck, fuck... why couldn't she just suck it up? She'd stolen on the streets, probably lied more than once... he rubbed his face quickly. Of course, it would be nerve wracking for her. A proper lady doesn't act as though she were any higher or lower than she actually was, and on top of that... well she wasn't a great liar. He put the dishes away, deep in his own thoughts.

He moved away, green eyes intense as he looked into the distance, playing with a gem that had been in his pocket, tossing it from hand to hand with ease. He'd have to find another fence... someone he knew wouldn't rat him out... so he'd have to sell at a less decent profit. Kaleb didn't like that option but- he looked at the gem in his hands, a sapphire - she was worth it. Now where to find said slimy bastard...