A Thief's Oasis (Hafnium) GMed by Takimaru

[Takimaru]

Re: A Thief's Oasis (Hafnium) GMed by Takimaru

Status:

Spoiler

Xara: HP = 53, PP = 41, EP = 38, Status = Fine

"Oooh, wow! All by yourself?! That's pretty amazing!" said Safiya in response to her 'little sister's report about the waterskin, her tone soaked with all the enthusiasm of a caring mother responding to her child's eager tale. After parting from the hug, the taller girl stooped down to take a closer look, letting out a low whistle when she did, and grinning, placed a hand upon Xara's head to ruffle her hair a bit. "Oh, look at you, so slick! What a natural--if I didn't know any better, I'd say you had some thieving experience already, what with the way you distracted those guys! That's our Xara!" Luckily for Ilias, Safiya's earlier inquiry regarding his actions was sidetracked as a topic for now, as the big sister continued to shower their new surrogate sibling with kind words of praise. She did pause for a moment to move the jugs to one corner of the room, then removed the skins covering their tops to inspect their contents, dipping a finger in real quick and tasting it. "Well, it's definitely some good water," she commented, smiling to herself contently after confirming its status as being of the premium variety.

The bronze-skinned leader tilted her head slightly in response to hearing Ilias being addressed with the new title, although she only did so momentarily and hadn't made a scene of it yet, still considering that Xara could simply be adhering to her new role as the newest member of the family. "Super helpful, huh? Oh, yeah, the new bed! Seems comfortable enough. I guess he IS good for something," said Safiya teasingly with a wink, although her brow furrowed a bit when Ilias failed to produce a timely response. "Right Ilias?"

The brown-haired youth had his arms and legs splayed out, laying on Xara's new bed and grasping the fruit even as he... well, slept. He was snoring lightly at this point, likely exhausted from the earlier episode, thanks to the bunnygirl's skill in drawing out his sexual fluids, as well as his ability to stay awake, apparently. "Zzzz..."

"Didn't know it was THAT tiring, but sure, I guess he deserves a break." Safiya shrugged, trying her best not to even bother thinking about explanations as to why a rather soggy junirant was still in his grip. She found a better topic to move onto, anyway, after seeing her 'younger sister' counting the coins from her earlier haul. "Wow, a hundred coins?! That's awesome! It's definitely enough to keep us fed for a couple of days. Not that I'd care if you weren't, just 'cause you're so damn cute, but I'm so glad you're helpful, Xara..." The well-toned thief paused, seeming to hesitate a moment, then placed a hand on the bunnygirl's shoulder. "On second thought, I know Yasmin and Nadim are on a food run today, so if you'd like, maybe we can take a stroll through the bazaar or something? Maybe relax for a little while, since I feel kinda bad for having put ya to work so soon... I dunno, I'd say you've earned it either way. Whaddya say?"

 

[Hafnium]

Re: A Thief's Oasis (Hafnium) GMed by Takimaru

"Ooh, really? That sounds like fun!" It really did. Shopping was one of the activities that the traveling merchants had told the smaller, similarly tanned girl about. The only kind of purchase she had been familiar with was the kind where, on the rare occasion where she took coins from her fellow tribesmen, she spent her meager earnings in order to buy small rations of food and water from a traveling merchant. Xara didn't imagine that the trip offered by Safiya would be much different, given that they weren't exactly wealthy, but she practically frothed at all the neat things she might see. "Just gotta do one thing before we go."

The bunnygirl thief moved to the side of her new mattress and, more importantly, Ilias. As soon as her face was out of sight of Safiya, she allowed her expression to become one of utter mischief. The plotting girl hoped that the snoozing thief had enjoyed their little moment, because he would pay for it for weeks to come in the currency of her amusement. Carefully, she painted her expression of innocence back into place, the one that was quickly becoming her trademark, and set about her latest plan to torment the man she had nicknamed big brother.

She nimbly removed the soggy junirant from his hand and pitched it, declaring; "Ew, I think this one is rotten." Afterward, she picked up the silky cloak she had left behind earlier and covered from his feet to his waist to it. "In case he gets cold," she briefly explained, as unlikely as that seemed in a desert shortly into the afternoon. "Do we have anymore of those fruits? I think he must have been hungry or something to have fallen asleep with that one." If the toned woman was able to produce one, Xara would leave it on the bed near him, silently snickering as she imagined him scrambling to pitch it after waking up while thinking it was the used one. But, even if there wasn't a second junirant available, Xara would be content. Waking up in her bed with her cloak covering him, Ilias would surely remember. And even if he didn't, she intended on reminding him for weeks to come.

When her task was completed, the bunnygirl would eagerly proclaim; "There! Now he's sure to be comfortable while we're gone!" She regarded Saffiya with excitement. "Let's go shopping! I didn't really get the chance to look around when I got to the city, so I can't wait for big sis to show me around!" She pocketed about half of the gold she had stolen earlier, fifty coins, preferring to leave the other half in the relative safety of their hideout unless Safiya had other ideas. After making sure her black traveling cloak and hood was secure, she would follow after the more muscular thief.

Spoiler

Hide them ears and go shoppin'!

Only taking 50 gold, unless Safiya wants to grab the other 50 or wants her to take all 100. Better safe than sorry.

Bettersafethansorrybettersafethansorrybettersafethansorry

 

[Takimaru]

Re: A Thief's Oasis (Hafnium) GMed by Takimaru

Spoiler

Xara: HP = 53, PP = 41, EP = 38, Status = Fine

"Hmm? Alright," Safiya replied, blinking twice and simply watching as Xara made a few seemingly sweet gestures for Ilias' benefit. The blonde-haired thief took the following act as far more innocent than it really was, interpreting the bunnygirl's sexual mischief as sweetness and a newfound concern for the comfort of her new 'older brother'.

Ilias remained completely out of it as Xara covered him with her white cloak, the personal article still heavy with her intoxicating scent. This really made it perfect as far as masturbation fuel went, especially considering that the girl's natural pheromones had clung to the fabric itself thanks to sustained use during her desert journey, having soaked up much of her sweat and tears over the long trek.

When asked about the junirant, Safiya scratched the back of her head, looking rather confused on the topic of why the younger thief would go so far as to provide the slumbering Ilias with the kind of fruit that he was notorious for using as a masturbatory aid in previous episodes. She did have one, however, stashed away in the pack behind her waist, which she pulled out and handed over to Xara with a somewhat reluctant look on her face.

"Well, I... kinda was hoping to show you how to eat that one, but I guess it could always wait for later." A somewhat visible blush had formed upon the older girl's cheeks, her mind likely having wandered to thoughts of 'teaching' the lovely Xara how to lick that juicy fruit of hers just right, how to get all that nectar out from the depths of its slick pit. Watching it tucked in with Ilias was actually a little disappointing to her, though she made no vocal complaints against the action.

After Ilias was all set up and prepared for a most memorable awakening, the athletic girl gave Xara a friendly pat on the back, her mind having shifted to the quality time they were about to spend together. "Sounds good to me! I'll show ya all the best places to get a deal. With the way that you talked to that water merchant, I'll bet you're pretty good at barter, too, which is great--it's somethin' ya gotta have in cities like Jadiram! I mean, if you're too much of a pushover, you'll be payin' full price every time," she explained before noticing the amount that the bunnygirl stashed. "Hmm... Let's take all of it, just in case we find something really nice. The trick is to carry more than you let on, just in case negotiations go sour but the deal is still good, plus you can pull the whole 'this is all I got' thing on 'em. I'll hang on to the other fifty for now," Safiya added, dropping the coins into her own personal pouch, provided the bunnygirl showed no protests to such an action. When Xara was ready, the two would then head back into town, at a different locale of course.

The district that the two girls wound up in seemed a bit busier than the one they had paid a visit to earlier, with considerably more foot traffic in either direction traveling up and down the main avenue. A few Town Guards were here, too, although Safiya made it a point to keep her hood on, covering the lower half of her face as well, just in case. While there were many others with this look in the market, the blonde seemed to take no chances when it came to the scimitar-wielding lawmen, and seemed to actively stay on the far side away from wherever they happened to be standing at any given moment, keeping an arm around Xara's shoulder to help keep her close.

Eventually, they found a nice stretch of shops that lacked the presence of these constables, which brought visible relief to Safiya's eyes, which were shifting about constantly every time one was near. Here, a variety of things were sold by smiling peddlers: spices, different types of clothing and food, bedding, perfume, candles and jewelry. Alternatively, some more 'functional' products for adventurers were on sale, such as potions and the like. There was also an armor dealer, as well as a relatively large stand with a variety of odd-looking weapons, probably foreign. On the far end of the 'safe' area was a small curio shop run by a diminuitive old lady. From here, Xara was free to choose where she wanted to go first.

 

[Hafnium]

Re: A Thief's Oasis (Hafnium) GMed by Takimaru

Xara's eyes lit up with glee once the duo reached their apparent destination, suddenly very glad that she had been convinced to take the full hundred. Her joy was enough to make her stop pondering what the guards had done to her big sister to elicit such anger and wariness. She looked at the different market stalls and nearly fainted from sensory overload. "Ooh, let's go there! Or, how about there? Maybe there! There too! Maybe we should start there. No, there. Maybe there!" The excited bunnygirl pointed and looked at the stores so quickly that it was easy to lose track of which 'there' she was talking about at any point in time. On the plus side, her giddiness might dissuade anybody watching from thinking that she was a thief—she was an off hours now, after all.

Eventually, her eyes dragged her to the clothing goods. Mostly because it was the sort of thing that she wasn't likely to spend the gold on, more the type of thing that she'd try to get a five finger discount on a few days later. Next on her visitation list would be the candles, perfumes, and jewelry, for much the same reason as the clothing, to mark anything particularly interesting for potential resource redistribution, to use the toned woman's words, at a later date.

 

[Takimaru]

Re: A Thief's Oasis (Hafnium) GMed by Takimaru

Status:

Spoiler

Xara: HP = 53, PP = 41, EP = 38, Status = Fine

The girl's apparent excitement drew out a slightly embarrassed smile from Safiya, who did her best to stick close to Xara, even when the bunnygirl practically hopped from one stall to the next in order to get a better look at the different wares that were up for barter. In a way, she couldn't quite blame the desert traveler for getting this giddy about all the different choices at the bazaar--after all, Jadiram was a relatively large city, perhaps in the top five of Deunic settlements when it came to sheer size, so there was a naturally high number of shops that were up and running.

A colorful little stall with various types of clothing, both of local style and imported, was the first that the two actually managed to settle on for more than just a few seconds. Attending to it was a rather tall, curious-looking man, with a curled moustache upon his somewhat tanned face, long eyelashes topping hazel eyes and a most kindly look about him. The storekeeper wore a white turban bearing a shiny opal at its front, which was supplemented with two incredibly bright and fancy feathers. Looking up with a welcoming smile when Xara came to examine the articles he had for sale, the man addressed with a voice that was clearly on the feminine side. "Hello there, young lady! Why, I've a marvelous selection of garments that would look just wonderful on you."

He proceeded to advertise some of the dresses and such that he had for sale, all of which were kept behind him. The salesman cycled her through his personal recommendations: A silky, almost sheer red dress, a very ornate sky blue ensemble with various sashes adorning it, and a white, foreign-looking garment that left little to the imagination were among the choices he pushed. "This one would look just fabulous on a pretty little thing like yourself. Perhaps you could ask your boyfriend to buy one for you? I'm sure he'd appreciate it, come the night..." he said suggestively with a wink, shifting his gaze from Xara to Safiya, whose features were mostly hidden by the cloak she wore. The only skin she showed was that of her upper face, partially obscured by messy blonde bangs, and her midriff, baring a window to her well-defined abdominals.

"H-Hey, I'm a girl!" she replied, pulling back her hood and scarf to reveal her face.

"Oh, so you two are like that, hmm~? That's so cute. I never thought a woman could have such a... well, a manly build like you do! In that case, I also have something you might like, for only 250 gold..."

"Hmph!" interrupted Safiya, clearly having taken offense to his comment, and likely to his outrageous prices. Grabbing Xara by the arm, she dragged the smaller girl over a few stalls down, though the flamboyant peddler's suggestions clearly had some kind of effect on her. After they reached a safe distance, the older girl could be seen grumbling, rather self-conscious now from the comments on her body. She adjusted her wear to cover herself up and sighed, looking a bit depressed, but eventually ushered Xara on to the perfume stand, where a woman with thick makeup and curly black hair was advertising her wares.

"Welcome, girls! I've just the thing for you two by which to attract all the men you would ever need to in a month's time," she said in greetings, which prompted Safiya to ease up on her previously melancholy look. The shopkeeper nodded to each of the girls one at a time before holding up an amber-colored bottle. "Musk of Void Rabbit. It's quite a nice scent, and is said to bear the capability of driving men simply wild with lust," she added. "In my travels, I've learned that amongst subhumans, the Void Rabbit, from which this essence is taken, is one of the most lustful. The female emits a strong pheromone that attracts nearly every male from the vicinity, regardless of species, and especially when in heat, she'll be nearly insatiable, offering herself to every lucky fellow that comes along. It's even said to work on other females, as well! You too, can have the sex life of a Void Rabbit, if only you apply the musk every two days."

Safiya's eyes wavered a bit at this, and she continued to listen with a discernable look of interest upon her face.

 

[Hafnium]

Re: A Thief's Oasis (Hafnium) GMed by Takimaru

Xara let out an awed 'oooh' as the first merchant paraded clothing in front of her. She tried them all on in her head, imagining herself in the impressive variety of fabrics and styles. When the little white number was offered, she blushed, imagining herself modeling it for a boyfriend or lover, whichever she might manage to properly have first. The merchant managed to step on his tongue not too long after that, although the bunnygirl didn't take much offense to it—she had slipped into a daydream about slowly removing the revealing white clothing for her imaginary lover. Before she knew it, clothes shopping had come to an end as the flamboyant salesman managed to further insult the strong thief. "Wah!" She cried out as she was suddenly pulled away from the stand.

The petite girl was left very confused, and was about to vocalize that she hadn't been done shopping, until she noticed Safiya covering herself up. I guess big sister is different from normal in her own way, the often outcast subhuman realized. "I think you're a beautiful woman, big sis," the smaller thief offered soothingly, sensing Safiya's dejection. "And you're a really nice person, too!" She added enthusiastically before wrapping her thin arms around the other woman's defined torso. Xara held onto the hug until she was ushered to the perfume shop.

Once there, the duo found a merchant, one with enough makeup on that Xara wondered if she had to scrape it off with a painter's knife each night, who was as opportunistic as the flamboyant man they had fled earlier. The term void rabbit had immediately caught the bunnygirl's interest, given her unusual features and uncertain origins, but curiosity turned to a sense of dread gnawing at the pit of her stomach as the sales pitch reached its conclusion. Too much of the saleswoman's description of void rabbits was familiar to her. "Can I take a smell?" Xara asked uncertainly, leaning in to do so. But her own scent had never affected her, so she wasn't sure what she would gather from it.

After she had taken a whiff, she beckoned Safiya closer. "U-um," she whispered to her big sister, devoid of her usual cheerfulness. "D-does this stuff smell, well, like me?" The bunnygirl urged the toned woman to check. Regardless of her fellow thief's answer, she would continue by asking the merchant; "If this stuff is from a... void rabbit," for all the trouble she might have had with any other name, that wasn't one that she would forget, "how do you harvest it?"

The petite thief had to put a lot of effort into making the question sound more like one of skepticism than one of fear, and even with all her willpower her voice still trembled slightly.

 

[Takimaru]

Re: A Thief's Oasis (Hafnium) GMed by Takimaru

Status:

Spoiler

Xara: HP = 53, PP = 41, EP = 38, Status = Fine

Safiya smiled appreciatively at Xara's comforting words, giving the younger girl a sincere look of thanks as she returned the embrace wholeheartedly. "Thanks," was all she could say at first without tearing up in response to the much-needed compliment. "...I'm glad at least somebody thinks so," she added after a pause. The taller thief exhaled deeply, fighting back her softer emotions as she cuddled Xara in the hug before finally letting go to turn her attention back to the strange saleswoman.

"Oh, interested, are we? Certainly," said the black-haired merchant in response to the petite one's inquiry. Uncapping the small container, she held it up towards Xara, then to Safiya, letting each of her potential customers take a whiff of the unique fragrance. The musk had a rather strange aroma to it, not one that was immediately pleasing to the senses but had a very addicting quality to it afterwards, to where Safiya looked almost sad to have it pulled away after she got the initial hint of the strong perfume. Judging from the taller girl's reactions, Xara could tell that it definitely had an effect, which would lend evidence towards the stuff being genuine.

Safiya gave Xara a curious look when asked about the smell in a lower voice, and stooped down to press her nose against the nape of the bunnygirl's neck, deeply taking in her scent. She lingered there for a while, failing to say anything, while the saleswoman smiled at the smaller one with interest. "Mm, void rabbits are relatively rare, even amongst subhumans--if orcs are sand, then they would be diamonds. Well, perhaps not to regular folk, who may not know any better... but just between you and me, as a trade secret: amongst slave traders, they are a commodity. Those who are enslaved are usually placed into stocks and milked, bringing a great amount of wealth, sexual pleasure, and good fortune to their owners. One might even say they are lucky," she explained. "At least for those who own them. So if you manage to capture one, consider selling them to a slaver. You'll be set for life! You'll never go thirsty again!"

At this, Safiya finally snapped out of it, looking up at the odd lady with wide eyes and a furrowed brow, and Xara could probably tell that the blonde-haired thief had a good idea of what she was talking about. She looked immediately troubled, and hurried to pull the smaller girl out of there before the perfume seller could go on. "Soo, are you interest... ed?" Thanks to Safiya's swift moves, the two were out of there and around the corner before the gaudy woman could even get a word in edgewise.

When the pair had escaped into the relative safety of a nearby back street, one utterly lacking in foot traffic, the blonde thief let go of the bunnygirl and gave her a serious look to match the solemnity of her tone. "That was... a little weird," she said, keeping her eyes fixed on Xara's before continuing. She gripped the smaller one's shoulders firmly, her demeanor drastically different from the usual affectionate way she interacted with her 'little sister'. "I know I never bothered to ask before, since I'm no expert on subhu-- ...uh, on you guys, but I feel like I have to know this. Listen, Xara... and please be honest. Do you remember anything about where you were born? Or even, what you are? Because... well, when I smelled you... it was a lot like that musk she was trying to sell us."

 

[Hafnium]

Re: A Thief's Oasis (Hafnium) GMed by Takimaru

By the time the merchant had finished explaining, the bunnygirl felt like her heart had sunken all the way into her feet. It couldn't have been more devastating if the woman looked directly at her and said; 'your body is more valuable than you'll ever be, you can never trust anybody because one day, someone who knows your real worth will betray you and be set for life.' And now Safiya knew. Her big sister had been nice and kind and charitable, that much was easily true. But how long would that last now that she knew?

Or Ilias or Nadim or Yasmin, for that matter. They might have cared for her while she was just another subhuman, but it would only take one trip to the perfume shop, making a few connections, and a few questions to learn what they might earn by giving her to the slavers. It wasn't that she thought the four might immediately give into the greed, they might not come back to the hideout right away and sell her off. But how many days would it take for that promise of monetary gain to start looking irresistible? How many thieving runs, hours of hard work, and escapes from the law until they started to look at the bunnygirl like a diamond rather than a friend? One particularly bad day, an injury, or something gone wrong, and she would be sold to some fat merchant for his business and pleasure if only so that the four thieves wouldn't have to suffer anymore.

Xara was finally distracted from her self-destructive train of thought by Safiya pulling her out of the shop. The entire way to the back alley she was terrified. What if somebody saw her ears poking against her cloak? What if somebody noticed her tail beneath her pants? How could it be this way? The tribe had ended up being safer for her than the city. At least in the tribe they were just indifferent and uncaring. Even knowing it was a trade secret, she felt as if all the eyes of the city were on her, just waiting for her to be vulnerable, to sell her off for massive gains.

When Safiya asked her a question, the dam broke, she started to cry. "I-I-I don't know, big sis!" She bawled. "My parents were humans! I-I never met my mom because she vanished after I was born, but everybody knew that she was a human! And my dad was definitely human!" Xara's sobbing was reaching uncontrollable levels. "I never wanted to be like this! I just wanted to be normal so that everyone didn't hate me! But they all called me an unlucky mutant and wanted nothing to do with me!" The bunnygirl sniffled, her train of thought suddenly changing.

"I s-should have told you the truth earlier. I wasn't exiled from my tribe. I ran away." The terrified and confused and fragile bunnygirl tried to dry her eyes and stop her sobbing, if only to avoid drawing attention to herself, but had mixed results. She looked into the taller thief's eyes pleadingly, as if begging the woman not to hate her for lying. "Strange men visited my tribe's elder. And they came with a cart carrying big cages and food and water. And I was curious, because I was always curious when the merchants visited. S-so I eavesdropped and I learned that they had come for me. And they offered him a few barrels of water in return for me and he accepted. And I was scared so I ran because I thought it would be better in the city. Please don't be angry at me, big sis, I didn't think it would matter." By that point, Xara felt totally destroyed, even without knowing Safiya's opinion on her earlier lie.

"Can we go back now, please?" The smaller girl asked, desperate to be off of the streets entirely.

 

[Takimaru]

Re: A Thief's Oasis (Hafnium) GMed by Takimaru

Status:

Spoiler

Xara: HP = 53, PP = 41, EP = 38, Status = Fine

The older girl's severe, almost angry look began to soften as her companion burst into tears, and after having listened to the entire rant, she pulled her in close for a hug. "Are you kidding me? You've got to be the luckiest charm I've ever found, and not because of what that lady said," she offered in an attempt to console the distressed lass, stroking her upper back. "You poor thing... I won't let anything happen to you. I just wanted you to come clean with me, that's all. Especially since that's kind of an important detail--if I'd have known, I almost wouldn't have bothered exposing you to such danger." Finally letting her go from the comforting embrace, she gave Xara a kind smile and wiped the tears from the sobbing girl's eyes, then kissed her on the cheek.

"No one's gonna sell you out, not here. Especially not to a damn slave trader for the purpose of some no-good noble. I... I'd rather die than live like the leader of Jadiram and his stupid troops do! I couldn't just... exploit you like that, the way they do us commoners, and be able to forgive myself for it in the morning. You know, my ideals aren't something I can just give away like that, not for any amount of gold. That'd make me no different from Hashid, or any of those other city guard bastards. If I trade them for anything, it'll be for progress," Safiya preached, no doubt about to spiral into some kind of political tangent, but caught herself before she could go on. Instead, she gave Xara a meaningful look, caressing the side of her face.

"You know, it probably sounds stupid but... pulling off that little water heist earlier this morning, hanging out at the shack, and even shopping here with you... that was the most fun I've had in a really long time, Xara. I wouldn't trade those moments for all the money in the world."

Giving an understanding nod to the bunnygirl's plea to return, Safiya took her by the hand and showed her the way back to the hideout.

~~~~~​

When they arrived, Ilias was up and about, having collected some long, curved sticks, metal rings, and curtains which were bunched up on the floor of the structure. His 'little sister's white cloak was left spread out on the newest bed.

"What's with the hardware?" asked Safiya as she entered, an arm wrapped around Xara's shoulder.

"Since we seem to have all this water now, I figured I'd actually make some kind of shower that everyone could use," Ilias replied. It was rather out-of-character for him to do such a thing, given his practical and somewhat frugal nature, which the older sister of the group noticed immediately and took suspicion to.

"Not sure if we're -always- gonna have this much stored up. I bet you just wanna spy on us girls while we're getting naked," she teased, to which he looked quite embarrassed, especially after glimpsing over at Xara. "H... Hey, I wasn't..." Luckily for him, he was interrupted once more by a timely entrance.

"We're back," announced a familiar voice from behind the two girls. It belonged to Nadim, who appeared in the doorway carrying a small basket full of assorted food. Yasmin was right next to him, though she didn't appear to be lugging anything, unlike her partner.

Safiya stepped aside to let them in, keeping her somewhat overprotective hold on Xara all the while. She did look a bit concerned about the unusually miniscule size of their haul, though. "So... is that it? You guys were out on the streets the whole time and this is the only thing you came back with? It isn't even a really guard-heavy day, I don't think..."

"Well, uh..." Nadim began to explain.
"You two were doing it again, weren't you?!" scolded Safiya, which prompted a telltale blush to show itself upon the faces of the couple. "Geez, see if I ever let you two work together from now on!"

This only prompted a pout from Yasmin, though her lover quickly changed the subject by producing a deoricot from the basket and motioning towards the bunnygirl with a smile. "Hey, Xara! I heard you liked these, so... I made sure to bring one, just for you," said Nadim in a kind voice, who reached forward to give it to her when it was snatched out of his hand by his lavender-haired cohort. "Hmph! I'd say she gets enough of those, don't you think?" remarked Yasmin, before fiercely biting off the tip of the fruit, skin and all. This caused Ilias to wince and turn away, almost in sympathy for the poor deoricot.

Nadim, on the other hand, simply frowned. "H-Hey, that was..."
"For your beloved, which she appreciates greatly," cracked Yasmin with a sharp look at her beau. She then raised a brow at the two girls, first to Xara, then to Safiya. "So what did -you- two manage to acquire?"

 

[Hafnium]

Re: A Thief's Oasis (Hafnium) GMed by Takimaru

There was some comfort to be found in Safiya's words and embrace. Part of the smaller girl couldn't help but doubt but Xara could ignore that part of herself for the time being, as they walked back home together.

~~~~~​

The bunnygirl was surprised to find Ilias up and about when the duo returned. She was more surprised to discover that he was working on a shower. As nice as a bath sounded, it seemed a little bit impractical for a group of thieves given the price of water. A little bit of luxury now and then helped to raise morale though, she supposed. Although, if Safiya was right about Ilias's intentions, perhaps it wasn't the bathing intended to raise spirits—at least not for the person in the improvised shower. The petite thief might have compounded on Safiya's assertion by teasing the brown-haired thief in asking how the junirant she had left for him was, but she had lost her appetite for mischief for the moment.

The arrival of Nadim and Yasmin and the discussion of their inappropriate use of 'work' time further diverted her mind from tormenting Ilias. Xara weathered the spat that erupted over the would-be romeo's attempts to give her a deoricot in silence. She wasn't particularly bothered when his lover had snatched the fruit away – although she couldn't help but wonder what Yasmin was insinuating – as she had lost any other appetite she might have had as well. But, when Yasmin asked what the two had found, she didn't hesitate to reply. If there was one among the other four whom the bunnygirl definitely couldn't afford to appear weakened around, it was the noble's daughter. "Big sis managed to redistribute two whole jugs of water," she replied. Despite her efforts, her voice lacked some of the luster it had practically dripped earlier, too much was on her mind to replicate that. "And I happened to find a hundred coins and a fancy new waterskin."

"You shouldn't be so hard on them, should you big sis?" She asked, turning to regard her toned 'older sister'. "They were just having some fun, right? They did get some food, after all. And the coins I found should cover any extra food we might need until we can get a bigger haul." It was ninety-nine percent innocent gesture, intended to take some of the heat off of Nadim and Yasmin, though that remaining one percent was intended to sting Yasmin's pride and perhaps let the other young woman know that Xara had no intentions of taking her hostilities completely without retaliation, passive-aggressive or otherwise.

 

[Takimaru]

Re: A Thief's Oasis (Hafnium) GMed by Takimaru

Status:

Spoiler

Xara: HP = 53, PP = 41, EP = 38, Status = Fine

"Oh, well aren't you useful," retorted Yasmin, with more than just a hint of bitterness in her voice. She folded her arms, still holding the half-eaten deoricot in one hand as she turned her head to the side and huffed. "A hundred gold goes faster than you think, you know. But I wouldn't expect a commoner like you to understand." She took another bite of the fruit, hastily chewing and swallowing. "I don't even get how you can sound so proud of having stolen someone's personal belongings right from underneath them. Or maybe you coaxed it out of its previous owner through -other- means?"

Her snide remark even caused Nadim to say something for once. "Hey, relax! It's not like you and I haven't done the same thing, multiple times at that."

She responded with a hard look to the crimson-haired youth. "Who's side are you on, anyway? Besides, I'm not exactly happy about it. I'm only helping because I owe it to you guys, and I've got no other choice, apparently," the noble's daughter added. "If I had just managed to keep my father's wealth, none of us would be in this situation. Including you," she went on, targeting the last statement towards Xara.

"There's no need to act like that, Yasmin," Safiya interrupted, taking on a stern tone with the lavender-haired girl. "We're all in this together, and if any one of us tried to do this solo every single day, we wouldn't last for long. So every bit helps, and besides, now we can actually afford to take real baths for once instead of scrubdowns. You oughtta thank her for that much, you know?"

"Yeah--at least Xara managed to get -something-. Well, something other than Nadim's load," mumbled Ilias, who received a glare from Yasmin for his comment. "I don't get it! What's so wrong about expressing my thanks for the one who saved me?! It's not fair..." the lavender-haired one began to whine, now that the others had actually bothered to go against her in standing up for Xara.

However, when the bunnygirl made her own statement seemingly in Yasmin's defense, she exhibited a bit of a confused look in response, unable to figure out exactly how she should react to that. If Xara's goal was to wound the noble's pride, then from the looks of things, the petite thief's mission was accomplished, but with it she also caused Yasmin to lower her overall degree of verbal aggression. "I-I guess she's right," she admitted reluctantly, before marching off to one corner of the room, where her bed was located, and buried her face in the pillow. "Mhmph." The former aristocrat was clearly humiliated at this point, having withdrawn into some kind of defensive mode.

Later, a small meal was had, but due to the relative lack of food from the day's haul, most of the thieves found it rather unfulfilling. When nightfall came and it was time to settle down for the evening, each person went to their respective beds, including Ilias, who apparently took care of the problem with his sheets, probably having scrubbed out the obvious stains made from Nadim and Yasmin's sexual fluids. Xara's new mattress proved quite comfortable, showing Ilias to be a fairly capable craftsman of sorts.

However, after the others fell asleep, one by one, the bunnygirl would find that she had already grown a bit hungry, and in the middle of the night at that. Whether she chose to ignore this or find something to eat was up to her. Meanwhile, each of the other residents were sleeping fairly soundly...

 

[Hafnium]

Re: A Thief's Oasis (Hafnium) GMed by Takimaru

When Yasmin retreated to her bed, defeated, the bunnygirl heaved a soft sigh. Her words and actions only redoubled the worry in the pit of Xara's stomach. There was a girl who would surely sell the subhuman out for a return to her old life, or an escape from day-to-day thieving if not that. With her nerves as frayed as they were, the shortest thief didn't regain her appetite in time for dinner, choosing instead to keep to herself on her new mattress and wave off any inquiries by noting that she'd eaten something earlier in the day.

When it came time to sleep, Xara simply removed her cloak, meteor hammer, new waterskin, and the coins on her person, and stacked them all neatly beside her bed, then rolled over. But she couldn't sleep. Every time she began to doze, she was woken by some imagined sound. Things she imagined to be a slaver sneaking in through the door, or someone spying on her, seeing her ears and running off to sell her location to the perfume saleswoman. By the time she rolled over and gave up, everyone else was asleep.

The restless bunnygirl sat up. Her inability to sleep had left her desperate for a bit of fresh air. Ignoring her stomach, she donned her meteor hammer and cloak and silently crept out of her new home. Once in the night air, she sat down, leaning against the wall of the building she had emerged from. There she could clear her head a bit before making a second attempt at sleep. There was so much to think about, so many things to come to terms with, but for the moment she just didn't want to think. The petite thief wanted to forget her worries and leave them for another day. And that was what she strove to do.

Assuming nothing happened in the interim, after about half an hour of failing efforts Xara would return inside and nudge the sleeping Safiya, asking if she could share her big sister's bed for the night. Maybe that would make her feel secure enough to sleep that night.

 

[Takimaru]

Re: A Thief's Oasis (Hafnium) GMed by Takimaru

Status:

Spoiler

Xara: HP = 53, PP = 41, EP = 38, Status = Fine

The bunnygirl was left alone with her thoughts, at roughly the same spot where her, Safiya, and Ilias waited just the other day. The night air was quite fresh, and surprisingly cool--even a little cold, rather, the slight touch of which could be felt even with her cloak on. For a while, it looked as though her retreat of solitude would last as long as she wanted it to, with only minimal sounds of stirring, if anything, being audible from within the structure. But Xara wouldn't be left alone for the whole time; towards the end, a figure stepped out from around the corner of the building, having come from inside. It was Nadim, of all people. The red-haired youth approached the somewhat depressed girl and plopped down next to her, offering a sympathetic look, a world apart from his usual actions of trying to kiss up to her so blatantly.

"Can't sleep?"
After a short pause, he tilted his head to get a better look at her facial features, trying to gauge her receptiveness, then continued on regardless. "Ah... don't worry about Yasmin--she can be hard to deal with sometimes, even for me. Since she's the second newest member of our little group, next to you, I think she just isn't quite used to this lifestyle yet," he explained. "I can tell big sis Safiya's found something really special in you, even if you're different in your own way. We're all here because we can't fit in somehow, 'cause just being on your own in a city like this... it never lasts long."

Regardless of whether or not she responded, he went on in a relatively calming voice, although the thief would stop to listen if she interrupted him with anything. "You know... she's not so bad--she's just reacting like many people would, I think. When I found her, Yasmin was down in the dumps, having gone from riches to rags in a single day. She was still pretty upset over the loss of her father, who killed himself after being betrayed by one of his close advisors for some stupid wealth gain. So a lot of people that she trusted--her family's servants, 'friends' and so on, they just kind of turned their back on her once they learned that the money was gone, and that they weren't getting paid anymore."

He sighed, idly rolling a perfectly round rock from the ground between his thumb and forefinger. "So yeah... her defenses are up, and I'm sure yours are too. It's times like those when you find out who your real friends are, especially in the Couran Desert where your companions are your lifeline, you know? Gold will work for whoever holds it at a given moment, but it'll go away just as quickly as it came to you, in a place like this, where anyone can snatch it right out from under you, one way or another. That's pretty much why I don't mind being a little poor, as long as I have people I can rely on. I've never really had those before either, y'know? And I'm sure you can relate. Which is probably why we're all sticking together like this, even if we don't always get along."

"So even if you're worried... about her selling you out or whatever, don't dwell on it too much. Even I wouldn't let her do something like that," he said, patting her on the shoulder before standing up. "Besides...I'd rather keep a gorgeous little thing like you all to ourselves, if I could help it," he added with a wink, reverting back to his usual attempts at flattery.

 

[Hafnium]

Re: A Thief's Oasis (Hafnium) GMed by Takimaru

The little thief remained silent at first, not really sure how to respond to her redheaded conversational partner. She wasn't sure what to say to begin with. Nor could she vocalize her normal cheeriness. But Nadim was different that night, somehow, so she decided to simply look him in the eyes and listen. Xara didn't issue any response until after he had further flattered her.

"Is it really okay for you to be such a flatterer when you have a beloved?" She asked with a blush. The bunnygirl continued without without waiting for a response, though, quickly becoming serious. "It's not really her. This lifestyle isn't easy, I know that much. And I guess it isn't any easier for someone who lived in luxury. So, it isn't about that." The short girl sighed softly and leaned back to look at the stars. "Well, I guess it is kind of about that. How long can a person who's accustomed to palaces and as much water as they could drink live like this before it's too difficult and they want to go back? I mean," she paused, trying to find an example that didn't scream that they could unload her on slavers and never go thirsty again. "What if one of us had a huge bounty on us? Don't you think that would get more and more appealing as the hardships grew?"

More words spilled forth from her lips, even though she knew that she shouldn't keep talking. But she desperately wanted somebody to talk to, selfishly wanted somebody to tell her that she didn't have to worry about it and that she was going to be okay. Would Nadim be able to connect two and two? Xara wasn't sure, but she certainly wasn't making it hard. He might have needed a brain injury not to see what she was getting at, but she was vulnerable and needed to ask. "What would you do if some day somebody told you that you were worth a whole lot of money? Not your skills or your personality, but just your body, something your body did whether you wanted it to or not. And that you were really valuable to slavers because of it. And that they'd take you and use you for it, whether you wanted it or not, for as long as they could." She looked Nadim in the eyes as she finished her question, hoping that he'd have some miracle answer that would soothe all her woes.

 

[Takimaru]

Re: A Thief's Oasis (Hafnium) GMed by Takimaru

Status:

Spoiler

Xara: HP = 53, PP = 41, EP = 38, Status = Fine

Nadim looked a bit surprised at her reply to his attempt to charm her, as if caught doing something red-handed. He wasn't given enough time to make a proper excuse, however, as she went on, spilling her heart out with not-so-subtle references to concerns that even some of the most dense people would be able to catch onto. The crimson-haired thief did listen though, in much the same way as before, eventually lowering himself back again to match the level of her seated position.

"I'm no stranger to Jadiram, Xara... or the world in general. I know that the traders like to use subhu-- well, girls like you, as slaves. And that you go for a heck of a whole lot--I don't know exactly how much your kind yields but, honestly, I don't care. I already told you I wouldn't even let Yasmin do something like that. After all, I think she's just used to getting what she wants, you know? Not what she needs--which is a place to belong to, like right here. I think the only difference between her and I is that she just hasn't seen it yet."

"You know, I was just thinking earlier that well... I'm really lucky to be where I am right now, with everyone here. Ilias, for being such a downer sometimes, is a real hard worker and pretty reliable. If you need something made or fixed, he'll do it. Yasmin, she's smart and beautiful, as you can tell, even for all her shortcomings. Really, so is big sis Safiya, though I'd never tell her that because I'm afraid she'll hit me or something--and she hits hard! But of course, so are you. You pretty much stole our big sis' heart, just like that, did enough to cover for our mistakes, and then some; I can already tell you fit right in. You know, I like to think of myself as an optimist, 'cause no matter how bad some things get, there's always something to smile about, if you think about it. Even when I was getting maybe a few drops of water in a given day, man, I would savor those with everything I had. If I just got upset, and complained about the few drops I was getting, I think that'd be like... missing the point."

He gave a more serious look after she made her last statement, pausing to give it some thought. "You know, I think I'd probably say... no matter what you do to me, no matter what you put me through, I'll find something, anything in the day that will make me happy. Just as my way of saying, 'fuck you, look what I got!' And at that point they'd pretty much have to take away the air I breathe, in which case I'd be dead and probably much better off for it." He smiled and patted her thigh, then slowly got back up to his feet. "But uh... if you ever get those urges, you don't gotta look all that far. Just putting it out there!"

 

[Hafnium]

Re: A Thief's Oasis (Hafnium) GMed by Takimaru

It was beginning to seem like everybody knew the 'true value' of subhumans except for Xara herself. Despite that disheartening knowledge, the rest of her fellow thief's answers were comforting in their own way—everything about the four, or perhaps five, thieves seemed to have a unique way of going about things. His response wasn't enough to erase all of her fears, but it was still something, some small measure of hope which she could cherish and hold close to her heart. The petite girl remained silent and thoughtful as he concluded, until he so generously suggested that he could help with her urges.

"Oh, sure, I'll keep that in mind," she replied to his offer with a giggle. "I'm sure your beloved won't mind me borrowing you for a week or so at all. She could use the time to figure out how to toss me off of the highest building in the city." The bunnygirl stuck her tongue out at Nadim. But it did raise an important question of how she was going to deal with going into heat around the other four. It felt nearly impossible to ignore when she was alone and didn't have anybody nearby to sate her urges on. How would she handle it when there were interested parties? Ilias was kind of cute in his own way, it wouldn't take much sweet talk from Nadim, and Safiya was certainly an attractive partner. It was another thing to worry about, but at least the red-haired romeo had given her some hope on her other concerns.

Xara stood up, adjusting her tattered black traveling cloak as she did so. She was beginning to feel drowsy and decided that it was time to try sleeping again. "It's getting chilly out here. I think I'm going to head inside," she started to do just that. Before crossing the threshold, though, she would stop Nadim and say; "Um, thanks for talking to me. It helped a lot." After any response he might make, she would step inside and return to her mattress, returning her cloak and Honrainese weapon to their stack on the ground. After laying down, it wouldn't take too long for the bunnygirl to drift off to sleep. Unless something else happened, anyway.

 

[Takimaru]

Re: A Thief's Oasis (Hafnium) GMed by Takimaru

Status:

Spoiler

Xara: HP = 53, PP = 41, EP = 38, Status = Fine

"Oh, um... I guess you're right about that one, huh," he replied to Xara's comment regarding Yasmin's possible reaction to her taking him up on the offer. "Aheheh, I sometimes forget that not everyone thinks the same way I do when it comes to that stuff." He shrugged, not showing as strong of a reaction to the comment as anyone else might have, though the bunnygirl could probably guess that he might even be used to it by now. The easy-going smile never left his face though, and he replied with a gentle pat to her upper back when she gave her thanks. "Don't worry about it, Xara. Glad I could help." He stayed outside for a little longer, but after only just a few minutes he eventually returned to his own bed as well, finding sleep not long afterwards.

~~~~~​

When morning came, the 'alarm clock' came on, as per usual. Right on schedule, Safiya was drifting from one side of the structure's interior to the other, banging on that pot of hers.
*CLANGCLANGCLANG* "Wake-up time! Too much sleep and nothing ever changes! Let's go!"

Ilias released a slow, extended groan before weakly cracking his eyes open. "Uuuuuugghhh... do you HAVE to do that? Can't we get a rooster or something?"

"If you want a rooster, then go acquire one for us sometime! But either way, I don't want anyone messin' up their sleep schedules, so..." *CLANGCLANGCLANG*

"Uuuuu, stop that already!" moaned Yasmin, covering her head with her pillow.

Safiya folded her arms with a smirk, looking quite pleased with herself. "Oh, but my lavender-haired friend, we're the ones who'll be out on redistribution duty today! Gotta get lots and lots of food, since we're got loads of water to spare, plus you two didn't help with our meal situation when together. I'm going to have Ilias stay here and finish his little work projects, plus repairs on the building, while Nadim will just do a morning solo run only. Xara, I'm going to let you stay here and relax a little, alright?" She smiled towards the bunnygirl, which incited a slight pout out of Yasmin. "I think you've earned it for now."

If Xara had no objections to this, the girls would then gradually start getting themselves geared up and ready for the day's events, with Nadim doing so a few minutes later. He'd actually care to wait until the lavender-haired one was out of sight before talking to Xara. "Well, time to earn a living. Got any requests?" he asked her with a wink.

 

[Hafnium]

Re: A Thief's Oasis (Hafnium) GMed by Takimaru

Unlike her first wake-up call in her new home, Xara was prepared for the second. The bunnygirl promptly sat up – her short, black hair afflicted with an impressive case of bedhead – grabbed her cloak off the ground, and stuffed both of her floppy ears as full of the fabric as she could to muffle out the noises. This is discriminatory against those of us with big ears, she decided as she sat on her mattress, struggling both to keep her eyelids open and to not collapse backward onto the mattress and fall asleep.

When the clanging finally ended, the sleepy thief removed the cloth from her ears in order to hear Saffiya's directions for the day. She struggled to remain attentive for the assignments not pertaining to her, but her being excluded from the day's work worried her enough to chase the last remnants of sleep from her mind. "I can help! I don't want to sit here doing nothing while everybody else is working hard, big sis!" She protested. Though, if Safiya stuck to her guns, the bunnygirl would relent with a bit of pouting. "I guess I can at least help big brother out." It would also be a good time to make up for the teasing opportunities she had lost the day before in her despair, she decided.

When Nadim approached her, Xara responded brightly; "Same as yesterday! Eating over not eating!" Afterward, she prepared for the day mostly by smoothing out her hair. Not needing to put on her cloak and hide her heritage was a luxury in its own right for the bunnygirl. She didn't even bother to wrap her meteor hammer around her waist. The petite girl, in her mid-rift and cleavage revealing, sleeveless white shirt and silken pants sat herself on her mattress, swinging her legs aimlessly, before turning her head toward Ilias.

"So, whatcha gonna start with today, big brother? Need a hand?" She started, eyes filled with all the enthusiasm of a new craftsman—one who would probably only accidentally break one really important thing and a handful of big but less important other things.

 

[Takimaru]

Re: A Thief's Oasis (Hafnium) GMed by Takimaru

Status:

Spoiler

Xara: HP = 53, PP = 41, EP = 38, Status = Fine

Obstinate in her stance, Safiya shook her head slowly, then stooped over, speaking to her 'little sister' in a caring, quiet voice. "After what happened yesterday, I just want you to be able to feel safe, alright? Just take it easy for now and we can ease you back into it. Besides, you've already contributed plenty thus far. Gotta take care of yourself first for now, then you can help us out later, okay? Big sister's orders." She patted the bunnygirl on the head a few times, running her fingers through Xara's pretty head of black hair, also stroking her ears in the process, and kissed her on the forehead before making her way towards the exit. Yasmin said nothing, but followed the leader of the group outside with her arms folded over her chest.

When it was time for Nadim to go, he simply shrugged at the newest family member's response and smiled. "Suit yourself. I'll be sure to find something you like anyhow! Don't get too bored with Ilias--I know he can be kinda dull, but he's a good guy. I'll be back in a few hours," he said before heading off as well.

~~~~~​

With that, the bunnygirl and her 'older brother' were left alone once again. He seemed almost uncomfortable in his silence, although Xara was able to catch him taking more than just a few glimpses at her assets, namely her perky breasts and tanned midriff, which he could've sworn were being displayed to a higher degree this morning than in previous instances. Normally an efficient worker, Ilias couldn't help but steal a glance towards the smaller thief given the opportunity, and in a much less subtle fashion than he might have wanted.

The brown-haired thief first sized up a portion of the wall between two of the beds, carving in the hardened clay a sketch that looked similar to a door. "Alright, we're going to break this down. Make the hole nice and wide, but don't stretch it out too far," he instructed, taking a few smashes at it with a sledgehammer before letting Xara have a try, if she wanted.

Afterwards, he went just outside the structure to fashion several bricks from mud and clay, letting them dry out in the sun for a while. "Gotta wait for these to harden. Try not to handle them too roughly until they're completely hard." While waiting for them to finish, he went on to build a wooden lattice which would serve as to provide the layout for their shower room. Carrying the newly fashioned bricks to and fro, he would then lay them within the framework, allowing Xara to help as needed. After this was finished, he'd have her assist him in painting it all over with a fresh coat of mud. "Just lay it on nice and thick, but make sure to fill in all the cracks real good."

If she had nothing to say after that, they'd get towards the end part of the project, which involved the roof of their new 'shower' requiring similar attention in that it needed to be painted over with a layer of mud. Even for the tall Ilias, he couldn't quite reach the top, so he looked down to Xara with a thoughtful expression. "Hmm... mind doing the roof for me? I'll hold you up, and I'll give you the bucket so you can slather it on--same way as before." If she had no objections, he provided her with a bucket full of mud, as well as a simple brush to go along with it, then wrap his arms around her legs and lift her up, holding her there while she worked, as the unfinished 'room' itself was still relatively fragile. His head was turned to the side, pressed against her tush, though Xara could sit on his head instead if it was more comfortable for her.

 

[Hafnium]

Re: A Thief's Oasis (Hafnium) GMed by Takimaru

From his 'stealthy' looks, Xara could already tell that the day was going to be fun. She began to wonder if his lack of subtlety was part of why Ilias was often left behind to do craftsman work, beyond his apparent talent at it. "I bet you've accidentally done that once or twice," she replied to his first comment. The petite bunnygirl brought herself off of her mattress and stepped closer to the wall that he was in the process of destroying. "'Cause of how big you are. Ooh, can I try?"

The petite girl took the offered sledgehammer and quickly determined that it was not the weapon for her. Five-foot two-inches and one-hundred-eighteen pounds of bunnygirl was not particularly effective with the top-heavy tool. She took a first, timid swing at the center of her target, clutching her hands too close to the head of the hammer like a novice, striking it but barely putting more than a dent in the wall. She adjusted her grip, potentially under Ilias's recommendation, to be further down the handle and allow the weight of the head to do more of the work and did slightly better on her second attempt. A third strike impacted the wall, along with a fourth, and a fifth. The sixth finally went through and nearly sent her tumbling into the remainder of the wall. "And strong," she stated, continuing her earlier remark, before falling backward onto her butt and panting heavily. "How do you make it look so easy, big brother?"

Afterward, she decided to let Ilias handle the rest of the hammer-work, as she imagined he wanted to be done sometime before next week. When the new doorway had been created, she hastily wrapped her traveling cloak around her head as a means of hiding her ears, then helped him with the bricks, trying her hand at as many as he would allow her to. "You can't do anything very fun with them until they're hard anyway," she noted innocently. With the bricks drying, she did what she could to assist with the lattice without getting in the brown-haired craftsman's way too much. Xara continued to offer her aid when it came time to lay the bricks and paint them with a fresh coat of mud. "The detail work is important. You've gotta get all the nooks and crannies or someone will be unsatisfied," that one was a bit of a stretch, she felt, but the bunnygirl wouldn't let any opportunity pass this day, she had missed too many the day before.

"Okay!" She exclaimed happily at the offer to do the roof. As she was lifted into place, Xara did everything just as he had shown her before, managing to avoid accidentally destroying the entire room under the watch of the talented craftsman. She slathered the mud on carefully with her brush. The bunnygirl also took a few opportunities to wiggle herself against Ilias. But, when they were about halfway through with the roof, she spoke up in a tone of fake suspicion; "Heeey, big brother. Your face is touching my butt. Is this the kind of thing that big sister was warning me about?" It wasn't actually bothering Xara, of course, but she just had to see how her 'big brother' would react.