Quick Hands

Angel's Harbour has always been a good place to make a quick buck - as long as you're careful to recognize that others are trying to make a quick buck from you. Located at the mouth of the Yaltri River, Angel's Harbour was born from an unintended afterthought to Aedian and Estalian treaty-signers. When they established the border between their nations, the river was the natural choice, as it was near the midpoint of the two capitals and served as a natural barrier. However, the uninhabited sandbanks at the mouth of the river were forgotten during the conference, and were not explicitly divided between the two. This resulted in the islands becoming a "no-man's-land", where both nations claim the islands, but are unable to enforce any rules without tearing up the entire treaty. Within this grey zone, merchants seeking markets away from the strict regulations of Estalia and the always-necessary bribes of Aedan built the structures on the banks. Others seeking their own forms of freedom slowly moved to the city, requiring the construction of even more docks, bridges, and buildings. Today, the city is a maze of wood, from its docks to back alleys. The entire city is dominated, however, the the Upper Harbour, a massive structure reaching up to the sky like a dead tree, where airships from around the world take berth.

Now, the worst part of being a master thief is that you're never allowed to brag about it. You see, everyone has an image in their mind of a great thief. They're the kind of people who pass below notice - that you need to scan the room two or three times before you can separate them from the shadows. The silent, stoic type who keeps secrets like one keeps letters from a lover. Unfortunately for the patrons of the Fisherman's Daughter, Sean McGregoir had none of these virtues.

A surprisingly large man, Sean's face was covered in a patchy, several days-old beard. When it wasn't taking a swig of drink, his mouth was occupied with stories of his apparent skill and exploits. They spew loudly from his mouth like a geyser, pepperred with the sounds of laughter and pride. However, the lady who had unwittingly sat next to him - as typical of many, many others - couldn't believe that this large, red-faced, and above all, loud man was truly as good a thief as he claimed.

Damn it, he thought, no chance with this one. Sure enough, a moment later, the uninterested woman made a weak excuse and left for another table. He wasn't surprised anymore when people avoided his stories, although he had to admit that some part of him was disappointed that nobody wanted to hear them. For what's the point of stories of incredible skill and prowess if one didn't have a rapt audience? Oh well, he thought, at least he didn't leave empty handed from this one.

He stood up from the stool and made his way to the door, paying for his drinks with money from the stolen purse he had grabbed from the woman. As he left, he thought he heard someone call after him. Feeling more like a lover than a fighter at the moment, he disappeared around a corner and continued rapidly. Unfortunately for him, the voice behind him was equally insistent.

"Excuse me-" Sean bolted at the sound of a young woman's voice immediately behind him. He didn't know how she had managed to notice his pickpocketing and then catch up to him, but he was determined to end this as quickly as possible. Running through the darkened alleyway, Sean leapt over the scatterings of trash which seemed to cover the city. 

Rounding the final corner - after which he was confident he would be rid of his pursuer - he found himself almost colliding with a very young boy. The shock of his sudden appearance in the middle of the alley sent Sean flying as he threw himself out of the way. This momentary delay while he pulled himself back to his feet gave his ragtag pursuers time to catch up.

And what a ragtag group it was. For starters, there were four of them; a boy, a girl, an old man, and a fourth one.

Now that he wasn't hurtling towards him at top speed, Sean could take a bit more of a careful look at the boy. The boy was two piercing brown eyes hidden behind a mop of hair. If Sean had seen him on the street he would have blended in with the hundreds of other urchins living in the city - including the one Sean used to be. It was only the eyes and... Something else... Which differentiated the boy from those urchins. Sean couldn't say exactly what that "else" was, but it seemed as if the boy should be twice as large as he appeared.

The girl wasn't the one who Sean had stolen from earlier - in fact, he didn't recognize her at all. Her yellow and white, excessively frilled dress stood out in stark contrast with the drab, dirty environment, as if she had walked out of a children's story. One of those stories you tell to take your mind off the real world. At the moment, she seemed very concerned with Sean, and was busy checking him for injuries. She smelled of flowers, Sean realized.

The old man was keeping a bit more of a distance. Almost right in the middle in terms of height between the boy and the girl, he was dressed in a simple mail covered with a grey cloak. At his side he kept his sword in the scabbard, which he fiddled with his off-hand. Someone's grandpa playing at knighthood? The old man didn't appear to be related to either of the younger ones, but who could even guess for the fourth.

The final member of the group was covered head-to-toe in the most terrifying - and probably most uncomfortable - armour that Sean had ever seen. Jagged spines stuck out from the armour in all directions, making the short, squat man appear like an exotic fruit. The man - perhaps a dwarf - was completely covered by the armour, including his eyes, which could not be seen behind a pair of dark-tinted glass. 

Why is it always the odd ones that find me? Sean thought.

Finding Sean free of any major injuries, the woman pulled him to his feet with a dizzying strength and speed. The blood loss to his head at finding himself suddenly vertical did not help him defend himself against the onslaught of questions the woman peppered his way.

"Are you alright? I hope we didn't frighten you."

"Are you from this area? How long have you lived here?"

"Is it true that you're the world's greatest thief?"

Sean smiled. Finally, here was his chance for the big-time. This group was obviously a group of professionals; they were each far too different from the others to be formed by familial or friendly bonds. They were clearly here for business - and they knew him by reputation! Sean's mind began to race with the possibilities. What was the job? What did each of this eclectic group bring to the table? Mountains of wealth seemed to grow in front of his eyes.

"Can you give us directions to find Johnny Scarsgard?"

Sean's brain stopped. Figures, he thought, I'm not some highly respected, world-class thief - I'm just a signpost. Even worse, I'm apparently a signpost to one of the most dangerous men in the city. Everyone knew that Johnny was one of the Group of Six - one of the de facto rulers of the unrulable city - and that his gang of Wags were the best thieves in the city. Second only to yours truly, of course. If only he could find a way to demonstrate his worth to these vagabonds before they were charmed by the Wags' numbers and reputation.

An idea started to turn in Sean's mind. There was a chance, an opportunity!

"Of course, m'lady. I would be happy to serve as your guide to our fine city," Sean offered his arm to the young lady, who accepted it with grace. "Right this way!"

"Stop," the barbed man, who had remained silent throughout roughly grabbed Sean's free arm. "Give the lady back her purse."

Drat, he thought, forgot I had done that. Sean peeled his arm from the armoured hand and pulled out the woman's coin purse he had instinctually pilfered when she picked him up. He held up the purse to the woman and shrugged apologetically.

"Sorry," he explained, "bad habit of mine." The woman's eyes widened, surprised by the subtlety and quickness. She swiped the purse from his hands and, eyes darting to and from him, turned her back to him to hide it somewhere among her satchel. When she turned back, Sean once again offered his arm, which was promptly rejected with an upturned nose.

Oh well, he thought, I never had the best luck with women. After taking a quick peak around the corner, Sean started on a winding route towards Maji Island, under the watchful eyes of the strange cohort.