A Thief's Oasis (Hafnium) GMed by Takimaru

[Takimaru]

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

While Ilias proved unable to completely drop his look of hesitation, he did find some partial success in lowering it for the time being, and gave Xara a solemn nod--along with a somewhat unexpected hug--before agreeing to her plan. The normally reserved handyman's bold reaction triggered an expectedly awkward moment as raised brows or otherwise surprised reactions sprung forth from just about everyone else in the group. While some might sense the unspoken dynamic between the two, it was certainly odd to see it actually expressed, especially from the more stoic one's end. Only Nadim seemed unfazed by as much, exhibiting a knowing smirk in response.

"Oh, alright... fair enough," said the crimson-haired thief, raising his hands and backing away a step or two. "I'll stay and help put the stand up with Ilias, then. You ladies have fun, alright? Don't take too long."


"R, Right, me too," Yasmin added in short order, as if to hide the obvious fact that she would go wherever Nadim did, if only to keep an eye on her smooth-talking beau. Ilias couldn't help but make a slight face, enough so for the 'princess' of the group to not notice. While the redhead and his sturdy frame could no doubt be of use, the former noblewoman likely wouldn't boast the same degree of usefulness... or even willingness to be useful. Though she was still a relatively new member of the group, Xara could easily tell as much by the slight shifts in the tallest one's expression--not that figuring out Yasmin's immediate motivations was challenging in any sense of the word.

In its own way, Xara's plan worked out; Ilias, Nadim and Yasmin would stay behind to work on the stand for their shop, while the bunnygirl herself, along with Safiya and Rabi, would do the scouting. Having dodged any immediate protests, she would set off with the other two blondes to the shopping districts below, in full disguise. Even Rabi opted to borrow a cloak, perhaps to hide his identity from anyone who might notice him, but more likely for protection. Such attire wasn't particularly uncommon in Jadiram or even in Deun itself; if anything, it was the norm. While a full-body covering might have seemed counterproductive against heat for someone unfamiliar with desert life, it was actually safer to have it than not, as such garments provided adequate protection against the deadliest enemies--the sun and the sand. Otherwise, even the darkest traveler could still receive painful burns and have their skin blasted by the harsh sands at even the slightest gust.

For Xara, however, it was a convenient way to hide her less human features. Those who knew of her nature, especially the older folk, had not taken kindly to her in the past. In fact, it was only this group who had... but when considering the leader's rather progressive views, along the relatively diverse backgrounds possessed by its other members, it did make some sort of sense as to why.

But now it was time to make a living. One that didn't involve stealing, which could easily land Xara in jail with a single bad move. Or... perhaps the girl's future endeavors COULD be considered stealing by some, depending on the specifics of what the she had in mind. Xara, Safiya, and Rabi moved out into the main streets where much of the shopping took place. The weather was fair today, not particularly blistering (though quite hot nonetheless) with tame winds, at least for the time being, making it perfect conditions for picking out groceries, trinkets, and the like. Whatever a shopper might fancy... or find themselves lured into by a very skilled peddler.

And there were a few working on this street that the trio could easily take notice of. The first, a rather well-dressed Deunic woman with a headscarf and uncharacteristically light and healthy skin, had roped a group of girls--and, oddly enough, two guys--into her area, allowing them to sample some supposed 'youth-restoring' cream that she was selling in strategically tiny jars.

"Made from the Dalienan plant of the western valleys of Ayon, this cream helps lock in and retain moisture for your skin, making it far less susceptible to damage from dryness and the harsh sands. Apply it anywhere, really; those cracked spots around elbows, shoulders, legs... even just trace amounts can essentially be renewed with a few drops of water. So after just one application, simply washing oneself can renew its effects after several days," explained the saleswoman, as her customers marveled at how smooth and cool the substance itself was, feeling it upon each others' skin. "Would you like to sample some too, sir?" she then directed towards one of the men, who only seemed to be there as an accessory to one of the prettier girls in the group.

"As fun as that sounds, I can't say it proper for a man to be applying such ah... makeup," said the man hesitantly. "I'll pass."


"Fair enough! Though, I wouldn't exactly call it makeup. I'd call it skin care--which is certainly suitable for everyone regardless of gender," replied the peddler. "It's not as if other people will notice any foreign substance on your face. Only the smoothness and good health it somehow bears after just a few applications of the cream," she would then add before turning to the others. "In the long run, it could really save you some money, as the ability to lock in moisture is more efficient than having to constantly wash with water you could otherwise save for drinking!"

Then, as it turned out, it was time to make her final pitch. The group of customers, now having been fully roped in, had a choice; to buy, or not to. After all of the sampling and gentle persuasion, it was the moment of truth for the shopkeeper.

"Hmmmm," mused one girl aloud, one of the prettiest ones from what Xara could make out of them with a concentrated peek. "Alright, I'll have two jars of it."


After the initial layer of ice was broken, the buyer's friends soon joined in with requests of their own. Somehow unable to resist, the atmosphere of openness and social agreement caused the number of units sold to jump...

The jars were 25 gold each--not a cheap price by any means, even for someone with the money to spare--but these girls were buying them as if they were more important than water. With eight people in the group, that was at least a cool 200 gold, without the threat of being arrested at that. It brought to question how much it actually cost for the well-dressed woman to acquire this so-called Dalienan cream.

But she wasn't the only one making bank, it seemed.

Not a block down, a few separate small crowds had gathered. One seemed to be putting on more of a show than a strict sale per se, where a young, beautiful, chestnut-haired woman was moving her hips to a rhythm played by her troupe. Even the nearby guards weren't opposed to the spectacle of relative indecency that was being put on, as a sort of dance normally reserved for the palaces of water barons was now here, out in the public. Instead, they too would be drawn in by it, opting for the role of awestruck witness over moral enforcer.

Another cluster was gathered around what appeared to be a water salesman of slight build. He didn't have any outspoken sales pitches or fancy lines; if anything, he was on the quiet end, spending most of his time directing his two large assistants to help various buyers load jugs of water onto their wagons or dromedaries. To Xara's knowledge, while water merchants often had it good, there was usually enough competition that crowds like this one wouldn't be commonplace... not without some sort of bonus or amazing price.

And finally, at the very end of the strip with a sizeable crowd of its own, was a rather impressive cutting display. The man here was wielding two shamshirs, curved swords of unmistakably Deunic origin, weaving their movements together in a way that looked much like a dance--but far deadlier, as one of his assistants would toss various objects in the air for him to cut while continuing to spin and twirl about. Not all of these objects were soft things like fruits and meat, either; others looked to be made of harder materials like wood and even stone... but all of them fell to the ground with clean cuts through them. While he was given a wide berth to ply his trade, many were still interested. A glance at the inventory behind him showed not only weapons for an aspiring guard or soldier, but every day cutlery as well; knives for the kitchen and for practical use.

Of these three, Xara could opt to take a closer look at the one she fancied most, or she could continue moving to see if anyone else in the area had exhibited good business sense.

 

[Hafnium]

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

Xara accepted Ilias's hug without complaint or any effort to pull away or stop him. She wasn't truly sure which between allowing him his display of affection toward her or shying away from it would cause the most suspicion among the others, and so instead she allowed it on the grounds that she enjoyed the feelings his embrace inspired in her--most notably the feelings of being loved and protected. She didn't quite return the hug with any true commitment, however, instead allowing her own hands to rest on the craftsman's arm and side. "Don't worry so much, we'll be just fine," she paraphrased her earlier suggestion softly with her characteristic smile as they parted.

Beyond that though, she said nothing else as the her traveling partners readied themselves. The void rabbit was anxious to begin taking notes, as the sooner she had acquired her first lessons in salesmanship the sooner she could begin turning their trinket collection into gold and, more importantly, comfort. Safiya would be left to lead the way when they departed, as the void rabbit's short time in Jadiram left her with much more to learn about where everything was and she didn't quite trust Rabi with the task given his long string of misfortune. When they got their first sight of some of the various merchants at work, Xara was nothing if not studious when it came to learning the art of convincing people to part with their precious gold. She made it a point to try to learn something from each exhibition that she witnessed, and there were certainly some valuable lessons to be gained.

The shows, both the sensual one and even the more martial display even though it obviously wasn't meant to make money on its own, interested her for the sheer number of possibilities. If their inventory ever ran out then the group of thieves could always turn to performance, she imagined. The void rabbit herself had her meteor hammers, an odd weapon of Honrai origin which would surely make for a unique showing in a Deunic city, and beyond that she was confident, enough so that it was perhaps fortunate that humility wasn't required for the types of shows she was considering, that her looks were enough to gain attention on their own if she chose to flaunt them in a manner similar to that of the dancer. Ilias and Yasmin might not be ready for a stage but Safiya had a nimble hand with knives and an allure all her own and Xara didn't doubt that Nadim could charm a crowd. With Rabi's stature and slight build, she might even be able to incorporate him in some way.

The major problem that she could imagine with plying that line of work was that any income would depend on a fickle audience of viewers who could watch for free. She supposed that a performing group could choose a more private venue, but that would mean more difficulty in drawing an audience in the first place. Plus, while it wasn't wholly in line with her desire to get on the straight and narrow, in a more open environment an audience member or two might lose a waterskin or some coins while they were caught up in the excitement if times got too hard for the group of thieves.

The water merchant didn't offer as much in the way of ideas, but there was a lesson there as well: selling something that people need is the easiest path. It contrasted with the sword display and the woman selling makeup such that she was able to discern a second lesson: if she wasn't able to sell something that people needed then she simply had to make them think they needed it. Even without words the people peddling their swords were doing as much. She could imagine the thought processes of the prospective buyers watching their display. There would be some who would rationalize purchasing the swords for defense, and some who would be interested in the cooking knives because of how much time they might save when preparing a meal, and others still would be interested simply because of the sharpness of the ones on display and how the new blades might replace old, worn out ones. They'd be doing the work of turning an unnecessary, prospective purchase into a necessary, finalized one all by themselves.

The makeup saleswoman did so more vocally, and Xara couldn't help but admire her as she practiced what could only be described as an art. Her pitch taught a lesson entirely its own, that being that the most important step to making a sale was in getting a buyer to listen in the first place. If a merchant could keep a buyer listening for long enough then they could be convinced to buy practically anything. The void rabbit imagined that the saleswoman could wither even the most strongest willed and no nonsense types into purchasing all they could carry away from her, if she was just given long enough to speak. Her pitch started by selling the frivolous as the pragmatic and then it was simply a case of dragging the crowd into the rush, person by person. The voidic thief imagined she had an answer to any avenue of skepticism.

And Xara wanted to hear them, which was why she had every intent of challenging some of the woman's claims despite having no intention of buying any of her cream. It was perhaps not the wisest idea, after how doing similar to Asra had nearly stranded her in another world entirely, but this time she had intended on doing so solely for research. How would the woman retort if she pointed out a few minor inconsistencies with her sales pitch or began to question her in depth, and how would the crowd react if one among them became skeptical? The void rabbit wanted to learn at the expense of another shopkeeper in case she ever found herself in the same position.

She began to make her way toward the saleswoman's crowd so that she could begin her experiment, giving a reassuring, or at least what was intended to be reassuring, glance toward Rabi and Safiya as she did so. Once she was close enough for the skin cream merchant to hear her, she voiced her intended skepticism. "Excuse me, I have a question," she started off with faked meekness, Rabi being her inspiration for the amateur acting role she had decided to take on. Her intent was too start off weakly and then grow more assertive and point out bigger questions that hadn't been asked as she went along, so that she could weigh the full scale of how the saleswoman handled varying levels of skepticism.

As part of her act she waited for the saleswoman to address her and allow her to ask her question and then even pretended to mentally fumble with the wording for a few seconds before speaking again. "How thoroughly would I need to wash if I used the cream on my face? You said a few drops but it seems like it would take more depending on how far it was spread. And how many time can you renew it before you have to reapply it?"

 

[Takimaru]

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

"Oh, hello there!" greeted the lotion lady without missing a beat. Xara's query, as tricky as it might have been for some less skilled peddlers to answer, didn't give the saleswoman much pause at all. She carried on smoothly, prompting some impressed looks by those listening. "After one application, you'll need enough water to cover your entire face--maybe a little less than the amount that you would use when washing. I'd say, about a qup? The advantage here is that the cream of the Dalienan plant will lock in that moisture for at least another two days. You can renew it up to three times with a single coats, though I've done it for more myself!" she explained cheerfully.

"It's definitely better on the purse than just washing, especially with some folk whose skin tends to dry right away even after a thorough soaking of water." Whether that was enough of an explanation for Xara was one thing, but more importantly, it was definitely satisfactory for the other girls listening, who were busy counting out their coins. Catchphrases like 'locking in moisture' and the like, as vague and unscientific as they were, seemed to work well enough in terms of maintaining the attention of the general audience. "You look to have some rather beautiful skin, yourself! Wouldn't you care to preserve it with something like this? Here, I can even provide a sample." She politely reached out for Xara's hand, and should the bunnygirl comply, the woman would give a dab of the cream onto it, rubbing it in thoroughly with two fingers.

"Doesn't that feel nice on your skin? Now, just rub that in until it's fully absorbed... and let me get a spot of water here," she continued, producing a small, modestly decorated canteen, then applying a few drops to the spot after the fact. "And feel that? It gets extra slippery at first, but it's almost like a whole new coat."

Apparently the seller wasn't above using flattery to soften up her customers, either. Xara could always attempt to stump her with additional queries, or perhaps take her mental notes and try another vendor...

 

[Hafnium]

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

The bunnygirl played along happily, offering her hand so that the merchant could apply the lotion. It didn't escape Xara's notice that the canteen the merchant produced would be considered modest next to those most successful merchants either, though the voidic thief couldn't settle on whether she believed it was due to the woman's profit margins, pragmatism, or perhaps a part of her sales pitch in itself. The woman was truly good at her work and for all Xara knew her product might actually work--after all, an item promised to take her to an oasis had technically worked just a day earlier. The cream certainly felt nice, too.

But the void rabbit wasn't in it for the cream or even really with any particular intent either good or ill toward the merchant, she was in it entirely for the learning opportunities. "Wow, that feels really nice!" The void rabbit continued with her practiced cheer, figuring she owed the woman's product some endorsement if only for her obvious skill. Her proclamation that the lotion felt nice wasn't a lie, anyway. After her praise, however, came a question intended to be slightly more difficult, and she once again took a cue from Rabi in attempting to sound unsure of herself. "But um, if this cream is so easy to refresh, wouldn't it make a lot more sense to just buy one jar and try it out and make sure it works well, instead of buying a bunch?"

 

[Takimaru]

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

Taking the bunnygirl's hand, the lady gathered a small bead of cream from her sample pot, rubbing it evenly onto her potential customer's skin. "My, such nice skin you have already. This is sure to protect it from the harsh desert heat," she would comment while working.

When Xara made her own response as to the delightful texture of the product, she would respond with a knowing smile. "Isn't it? See how little it takes to produce a noticeable effect? It's such a shame that this plant is so rare here and so common in Ayon, as I'd say we're the ones in need of it most! It was really a gamble for me to really consider making the trips back and forth, especially with the terrible windstorms near Jadiram, but I had a feeling that there would at least be some women around here with an eye for proper beauty and skin care," she explained.

While the peddler had managed to answer the questions posed to her thus far in a smooth and timely manner, Xara's next one would give her some pause for once. It was a good question, addressing a valid concern. Why stock up right away when you could try, first? It made sense. Too much sense, and her smile crinkled just slightly. "Well..." she started, looking for the proper combination of words to remedy the situation, as several other customers were listening.

"I give a bit of a discount to those who buy bulk, because in all honesty, I can't afford to do this year-round. You see, the Dalienan plant only sprouts in the spring, and so I like to gather as many as I can while they're fresh. Three trips in a season is ideal, and if I spend too much time in the marketplace to unload them, then I may have to settle for only two." She seemed to regain confidence after coming clean, though whether the bunnygirl believed as much was another matter.

Several nods of understanding and 'ohh's came out of the nearby customers. It seemed as though they were buying her excuse as well.

Just in case, the peddler would add on to her story. "But since it's such a wonderful product, I know people won't be disappointed even if they purchase a large amount!"

 

[Hafnium]

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

Xara was even more confident than before that she'd chosen her research subject well as the merchant verbally danced her way out of simple, valid concerns and questions alike. The void rabbit didn't care in the least to discern whether a word the other woman said was true or false but rather focused on taking mental notes instead. The petite thief might not have been the best about remembering specific details but by then a pattern had emerged in the saleswoman's general behavior and Xara was confident enough that she could remember her own simple summaries of the woman's behavior: don't be specific when it can be avoided and coming across as a kind person attempting to inform passersby of a wonderful opportunity beat forced friendliness.

The short thief was happy enough with her findings then to decide that it was time to move on. "Oh," she started in reply to the saleswoman, intent on unleashing one last bit of mischief on the merchant before walking away, "so you have to make the trips personally? I didn't think about that. Then if I had an issue or I got a rash or bumps or something I might not be able to get in contact with you.... I think maybe I should go speak to a healer about the Dalienan plant before I buy any just to make sure that it will be safe for me. Sorry for taking up so much of your time," Xara offered, still playing at being meek, before giving an exaggerated bow of her head in apology and backing away a few steps before finally turning to leave and reunite with Safiya and Rabi.

Assuming she wasn't stopped from doing as much, she would offer a satisfied grin to the two and once they were out of hearing distance of the crowd or the saleswoman she would speak up. "I think I've got enough to work with now! Should we go back and see if Nadi and," she paused for half a second to keep herself from giving Yasmin a blatantly unflattering nickname instead of just a slightly unflattering one, "Yas have driven Ilias crazy yet? Or did either of you want to go see something while we're out here?" The void rabbit's tone was full of cheer as she asked, thanks in no small part to her imagination. Her goal of opening a merchant stall was so close that she could practically taste it, and her mind was alight with the remaining steps and possibilities, so much so that in truth she very much wanted to return home and see what kind of progress Ilias was making. But it wasn't entirely about her, despite what she might claim vocally, after all, and Rabi and Safiya had made the trek all the way out there with her, so if either wanted to check out something in particular she would gladly give that a look with them instead.

 

[Takimaru]

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

The saleswoman gave a worried look at Xara's mention of a potential allergy, glancing back and forth at the other bystanders so as to make sure they wouldn't be swayed by the fear of such a possibility. "I've never met one person who has had a problem with it! It is purely safe--no ill effects. In Ayon, they even apply such cream to infants to preserve the fresh quality of their skin!" she exclaimed politely in response, throwing her gaze around to the other potential customers as well as the bunnygirl herself. It wouldn't, however, be enough to keep the petite thief from gracefully making her exit, as she had learned all that she needed to from this particular vendor.

When Xara returned to her cohorts, they would put forth a curious look, as if waiting for her to comment on whatever she had just seen.
"Yasmin and Nadim'll drive Ilias crazy regardless, I'm sure. But he'll find a way to get it done soon enough. Why, you worried about him already?" replied Safiya, the smallest hint of suggestiveness in her tone.

Meanwhile, Rabi pushed himself up on the tips of his toes, trying to get a better look at the woman past the wall of people that he was otherwise too short to look over. "That lady had a lot of people crowded around her, but it doesn't look like she has a big display or anything," remarked the effeminate lad, who then motioned to the dancer and the sword wielder, who were putting on their own magnetic displays charged with sex and wonder, respectively. "What was she selling?"


Xara could respond to him however she wanted, but the trio wouldn't be out of the area just yet. Her big sis seemed fixated on one of the other shops in the square.

"Hang on," said Safiya. "That water merchant sure is attracting a lotta people. Maybe he's selling jugs at a reasonable price? I gotta see what he's up to," added the tallest and most physically capable of the trio, grabbing Xara and Rabi by the hands and linking up before pulling them through the crowd.

They arrived at the tent--a relatively large one, like those owned by most water salesmen. Its stock of water was depleting fast, and from the looks of the way things were moving, it would only be several minutes more until they had to resupply. Safiya carefully observed what was going on, and Xara had an opportunity to do the same. Rather than sums of 200 gold, people in line were only putting forth 20... only a fraction of the average going price. How could he afford to sell it so cheap? However, if the bunnygirl looked more carefully, she would observe the customers filling out page after page of information on small pamphlets of parchment. Usually trades were far simpler than that, and the seemingly time-consuming process was also likely responsible for the huge line that had formed into something more of a loosely organized crowd.

One of the merchant's apparent assistants, a bespectacled and orderly-looking young man with a pad full of parchment and a quill, was pacing along the winding line, inspecting everyone who was waiting in it one by one. Safiya stopped him to ask just one of the many nagging inquiries on her mind. "So what's going on here? Entire jugs of water for 20 a pop? That's amazing! Explains why there are so many in line... but I mean, at that price, shouldn't there be er, more?"

"By Gallahn, no," replied the assistant sharply, trying to hide his look of ridicule and failing somewhat. "No one who keeps their head sells water at that price, unless they are at swordpoint. We are doing a program called financing, have you heard of it? You pay ten percent now, then later each month. Of course, if it takes you longer to pay, then there are additional fees, and a small percentage that we acquire over time. We only require that you give information on a form such as this one," he explained, pulling several sheets of paper from his stack and presenting it to Safiya with one hand. "For a vital and expensive good such as water, it's better to stock up now than later. There is bound to be a shortage soon, as some of the main water suppliers have unfortunately been uh... assassinated. Really, the process is ingenius and a good way to ensure that you will have the proper supply for the future. Care to fill out your information? With just a 20 gold deposit, you can be cleared for an entire jug. I'm sure there will be enough if you fall in line now."

"I, well... I uuhmm..." started the blonde, her mouth crinkling as she looked down at a series of documents that she clearly couldn't read. "Thanks for the information, but I need to go and er, check my f-financings or whatever..." The fact that they didn't exactly have a permanent--or legal--address would also probably hurt their chances, and Safiya was looking rather uncomfortable by that point as well.


Unless Xara had any remarks to make, then the toned thief would drag her and Rabi away from the scene, muttering under her breath.

"So now they're charging people even more for water? I thought they were doing something good for once by giving people what they NEED at a reasonable price. But this 'finance' stuff... I mean, I'm no scholar or anything, but that just doesn't make any sense to me. Why would you pay more in the end for something that you were going to get anyway? And what happens if you can't pay? Are they gonna send some thugs to your doorstep or something to beat the water back out of you? These damn crafty merchants," scoffed Safiya, looking more than just a little irritated in light of such a discovery. "I'd say it's just another way to swindle people out of their hard-earned coin."

"Maybe it's not such a bad idea," said Rabi hesitantly. "I mean... what if they need it right away? It's just another option I think. Plus there's nothing that I can think of needing more than water. It's too bad we couldn't take more from that one place we ended up in. Not that I ever want to go back there again!"

 

[Hafnium]

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

"I think he's someone who needs worrying about," the void rabbit jokingly asserted to Safiya's comment. "Last time we left the hideout we found Nadi and Yas naked and I found him searching for us in piles of trash, I'd hate to repeat that!" The matter wasn't something she needed to stretch or lie about to her 'big sis,' much to Xara's own pride, as she was plenty confident that Ilias would be fine, if perhaps less confident that the two lovebirds wouldn't have found their way out of his sight and right back to their usual business.

"Skin cream," she would reply easily when Rabi stepped up with his question of what the merchant woman had been selling. "No clue whether it really works or not! She had a good sales pitch though, and she taught me a lot whether she intended to or not! She even gave me a few ideas too, but we can talk about that part later." Apparently much later, as Safiya caught sight of the impressive line waiting for a chance to buy water, although Xara certainly couldn't complain as when the merchant's assistant came by and explained the system she couldn't help but feel like the chance encounter had been a gift from the heavens themselves.

The imagined profits practically danced in front of the voidic thief's eyes as the man talked. Selling a two-hundred gold barrel of water for more than it was worth and having people willingly paying that increased fee for a lower up front investment? It seemed brilliant! She'd still stick to the five finger discount for her water of course, but passersby who wouldn't normally buy a barrel because their finances wouldn't allow it and even people who had the gold ready but didn't want to make such a hefty investment all at once might make a purchase that they otherwise wouldn't. Then there were fees for late payment and there was the percentage that the merchant received simply for being patient. Sales strategies seemed so wonderful now that she was approaching being on the side of plying them. There was one question though, one which Xara didn't hesitate to voice. "What if the person who buys it doesn't pay? What if they don't have the gold and can't manage to get it together or it just doesn't seem like they're ever going to pay?"

Regardless of how he answered that, the possibilities would be ever multiplying in Xara's head as she was finally dragged away by Safiya. Why stop at financing water? Finance everything! She could offer financing plans on everything from the jewelry they had taken to the furniture she managed to get out of Ilias. People might turn up their nose at paying one-hundred coins for a necklace in a single go, as they rightfully should as far as she was concerned, but they might reconsider at the idea of needing to pay a mere ten coins a month for a year! After all, it was only ten coins! She had to spend a few moments calming herself down over the prospect in order to neutralize her expression and make a suitably serious response to Rabi and Safiya's opinions on the matter.

"Big sis is right on the price gouging. I don't think they'd hand out a barrel of water without an initial payment that would at least cover producing that water in case their customer didn't pay for it or they just couldn't get the money back. At least I wouldn't if I were them! If that's true then they're already making a lot of gold off of it even before the extra percentage." She couldn't leave it at that though, not if she wanted to do the same thing without drawing Safiya's disapproval. "I think you have a point too though, Rabi. If the merchants really are killing each other over keeping the prices high then maybe they have no choice. At least people who are poorer or down on their luck can at least get their hands on a barrel, even if they can't afford it all at once..." she trailed off as her own words sparked a sudden inspiration in her own head.

Of course! That was it! Why sell a full barrel of water all at once at a slightly increased price when it was possible to sell small portions of the water from that barrel multiple times per day? In small portions she could probably even double the overall price! It would even remove the dangers inherent in a customer proving unable to pay off the entirety of a financing deal. She could even sell it as a convenience, as long as they had a cart dealing largely in jewelry. Shopping for a new necklace for the latest concubine could be thirsty work for a fat nobleman, why not refill their canteen while they were there at the low price of, say, five coins? All Xara would need to turn a profit on that would be something that could reliably measure out three coins worth of water. She could barely keep herself from grinning at the thought.

"I wouldn't rule it out entirely! I'm sure it can be used for good," she abruptly continued. "Anyway, I think I'm ready to head home now!" She needed to dig through the gold straightaway in order to see if there were any suitable cups she could borrow from it for her planned refill station. It was going to be an even busier day than she had thought.

 

[Takimaru]

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

"Piles of trash? That's... well, I want to say it's surprising, but yeaahh. He must have been really desperate. I'm actually kind of shocked that he didn't get arrested trespasserring on palace grounds or something crazy like that," said Safiya with a slight shrug. "You know, it's funny. I know he cares, about all of us that is, but he's never been really good at showing it until we came back. Wonder why?" she pondered aloud with a slight grin, seeming more intent on drawing some kind of truth out of her companion. "But I mean, it's not a bad thing, to see him so passionate for once. I always found him a little complacament with things, so maybe a little drive is exactly what he needs."

"Trespassing? Complacent?" is what Rabi should have asked, but unlike Ilias he didn't have the nerve to interrupt or correct her out loud. Keeping his queries to himself, he could only exhibit a slightly puzzled look as he tried his best to get used to Safiya's somewhat odd verbal habits.

What did come out of the effeminate boy's mouth was his response to Xara's answer. "Skin cream? Oh, that sounds nice. But your skin is so nice already..." He would accept the bunnygirl's promise to fill him in on what she learned later, however, and quietly follow the other two to the next stand.

The bespectacled assistant hesitated for a moment, raising a brow upon hearing Xara's queries. He would go on to answer them briefly enough after the initial look he gave her. "This is part of why we check their backgrounds, to avoid such pitfalls. There is always a way for us to collect," he assured her. "For those who are having trouble with payments, we can offer to adjust their payment plans, as we have a variety of them prepared. Of course, they'll likely owe more in the end, but they'll get it paid off one way or another over a longer amount of time. But I assure you, this is all legal--if anything, those who neglect their financial obligations to lenders such as us are closer to breaking the law than we are."

He gave his explanation just in time for Safiya to drag Xara and Rabi away from the scene, and the tallest of the trio went straight to ranting about the process as soon as they were out of earshot.

Their points about immediate availability of the water for those in need did cause the taller blonde to reconsider for a moment. "I guess if you put it that way, maybe someone dying of thirst can make it up later... but I don't know. Something just strikes me off about the whole thing, because if you ask me, access to water should be a right for everyone who lives here in the desert! Isn't it hard enough to survive without having to struggle with ridiculous prices? Especially over something that can be made so easily thanks to magic? You'd think that people with power should have an obligation to those under them," proclaimed Safiya with no lack of conviction.

Rabi appeared to have no rebuttal to Safiya--that, or he wasn't in the mood to face the well-muscled girl's wrath if he did happen to have one, so he quietly nodded and went along for the time being.

~~~~~​

When the trio returned to their hideout, they would find Yasmin and Nadim just outside the makeshift building. Fully clothed. And doing actual work, for once.

The lavender-haired girl was busy smoothing out the rough edges and splinters from what was largely a completed stand, and Nadim was helping Ilias with erecting the raised portion of the stand where one last detail needed to be added... a sign. A board badly in need of a carved logo lay on the 'ground'--or rather, the broad roof of the building that their home had been haphazardly built upon, and where they all stood. The large, stone structure below was some sort of establishment, a small warehouse of sorts that occasionally had people traveling in and out. Either they didn't seem to mind the small shanty built atop them, or they simply didn't notice.

Seeing their return brought a relieved smile to the carpenter's expression. "You're back! We're almost done." He paused to motion to the signboard waiting for Xara's personal stamp of approval. "It just needs one more thing. The sandwood is easy enough to carve into, so you can just use the chisel next to it to put whatever you want. I can help, if you want, but my handwriting's never been particularly good."

Xara was then given free reign to inscribe her design as she wanted. Afterwards, a look in the chest would show that there were plenty of goblets to choose from, eight in total of varying design. The largest container suitable for holding water was a steel pitcher, covered in elegant calligraphy, which could store roughly three profane minas. Certainly enough to refill a small waterskin half a dozen times.

 

[Hafnium]

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

Yasmin and Nadim hard at work on something than each other? The day nearing unbelievable for Xara. Shops, wonderful ideas, everything coming together, her future was getting brighter by the second. Nothing could possibly slow her on her rise from thievery and poverty!

Except the need to carve a sign. "Um... I'm not very good at writing," she sheepishly admitted to the tall woodworker. "I never actually got much practice!" She didn't exactly have a scholastic background. Her father had disappeared when she was still a youth and, in truth, looking back on it she wasn't entirely sure that he would've known how to read and write, as very few people in her tribe had learned as much. The elder of her tribe had though, and the traveling merchants tended to have a good grasp on it and carried ledgers and parchments of all kinds with them. Curiosity had led her to use the kinder merchants, and sometimes a few of their papers which she would 'temporarily borrow,' as a stepping stool for learning the language, that and a healthy dose of spite toward the elder and a desire to more efficiently snoop through his belongings.

And so her youth had left her with a basic grasp of the symbols that made up the written language of her little corner of Deun, but she didn't quite have the knack for using them appropriately when she herself wrote. "I'll need a hand with it when you're done there! Don't rush though, I need to check something else real quick," she continued cheerfully before making her way into the shanty proper.

Inside, she would take care of her pitcher search, making a mental note of how much treasure remained in the chest when she did, just in case Yasmin had found or might still find a bit more time to ferret away more of their hard earned, re-stolen loot. As she rooted around in the chest, the pitcher with calligraphy caught her eye the most. It was a little big for her usage, though. She needed to be sure that if a buyer paid her five coins for water she was producing one coin worth of water. Although, she might be able to work the size of the pitcher against those with smaller waterskins by charging by the refill instead. She'd have to consider that further. For the time being, she would choose to leave the steel pitcher out and replace the rest.

Afterward, she would return and patiently wait for Ilias's aid in working on the sign. When the carpenter did come over to aid her, the petite thief would prove far less demanding in that than she had in her quest for an appropriate pitcher. She would insist on doing as much of the work as possible, though she would take whatever advice and assistance Ilias offered. "I still want to go with Six Oases' Treasures," she would explain as they worked to carve the name into the blank board.

Spoiler

Agh. Not as robust as I would've liked. Hopefully this is enough to respond to in order to get the thread moving again though!

 

[Takimaru]

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

"Oh, that's alright. I can at least make sure the letters are mostly legible and everything," Ilias replied, his expression the polar opposite of Yasmin's condescending brow raise. The former noble's immediate reaction was, perhaps as expected, somewhat less pleasant, though she tried her best to mask any outright contempt.

"Well, even if you couldn't read at all, it's not as if you'd be the only illiterate person in the group," Yasmin couldn't help but to blurt out.

Safiya sighed in response. "Some of us have been busy trying to survive our entire lives," she explained. "Besides, who was it that taught you left from right here on the streets of Jadiram?"


"Mostly Nadim," replied the lavender-haired one, still unwilling to concede the point.

"Whatever. Anyway, good job on the stand. Nice to see you two actually helping with our bunny's little project," remarked the taller girl, folding her arms.

While Xara's memory of the Deunic alphabet might not have been quite as good as that of some scribes, her affinity for treasure certainly was, and it wasn't difficult for her to make a mental note of the inventory contained within. Other than the pitcher and the eight goblets, inside were three more armlets, seven bracelets, twelve rings, nine necklaces or chokers of various make, roughly two dozen eating utensils, four jeweled daggers, a chain veil of sorts, two hand mirrors, and five figurines. Just under eighty items in total, not counting the ring belt, ceremonial dagger, and phallic object she looted from Asra's wagon the other night. Pricing each and every one could be tricky, although playing it by ear was also possible.

Then, when the bunnygirl looked to make her sign, she would find Ilias already waiting for her, ready to offer his assistance. Given his current and rather obvious obsession with her, there were few others nearby that he would rather pay attention to.

"Right, just have to be a little careful with that one, as it looks a lot like this other character... see? There, perfect."

And despite the frequent corrections he often made towards Safiya in response to her grammatical errors, he proved rather patient with the smaller thief. Did the existence of romance--or at least sexual relations--between them affect that much?

Not too long afterwards, the sign was finished. 'Six Oases Treasures', so it read, and with a bit of minor adjustment thanks to Ilias, the letters came out clear enough, at least to Xara's knowledge.

"Wooow~ Not bad... for a commoner," said Yasmin, looking marginally impressed for once, though her sarcasm, if any, was difficult to gauge in this instance.

"Cool. So are we setting this up right away?" asked Nadim. "Seems as good a time as any. I can scout around for different spots, or if you know of one already, I can help move the stand or something."

Xara had few choices here. She could try to set up shop right away, with it being early afternoon, or wait until tomorrow morning. It was difficult to remember too many open spots on the street where she had just been, and setting up on the road where she encountered Asra might not be a great idea. On the other hand, there was plenty of room in narrower alleys, though those would undoubtedly attract less customers...

 

[Hafnium]

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

"The streets and the mattresses," Xara would remark in a mutter after Safiya folded her arms. She decided not to take it any further than that though. For the time being she would set herself to the task of carving the sign, with no small amount of help from Ilias.

It was a task that turned out to be both sweet and cause her a bit of turmoil. Ilias took such care and had such patience with her as she struggled to transcribe the proper letters onto the board, fumbling both in the use of the knives due to her inexperience at woodcarving and in her command over the alphabet simply because she'd never done much writing or reading. He seemed to truly love her, or at least he held a love for her that she could never remember being on the receiving end of before. There was a world of difference between the tall craftsman and the merchants who had sometimes traveled through her tribal home. Those men had tried to woo her with false kindness and attract her into their bed so that they could have their fun and be gone before she woke up, but she had actually given herself to Ilias and he'd only grown closer afterward. Even when there was a possibility that she might've become pregnant he didn't flee, and when she had disappeared with Safiya he had been concerned.

Yet... Xara wasn't sure she was returning the same amount of love that he obviously held for her or that she was even capable of it, and it made her feel guilty. The void rabbit was used to being guarded and deceiving those around her largely because she was used to them not caring about her, the concept of how to love was a relatively new thing to her. She cared about Ilias, she certainly found him attractive, she felt safe enough with him to give herself to him, and he was very special to her, as all of her new group had quickly become, but she wasn't sure that he was as special to her as she apparently was to him and that made her wonder about herself. She felt like she loved him, but it was such a foreign feeling that she couldn't be one-hundred percent certain.

The introspection would see the sign finished a bit slower than if she had been fully focused on it, but it would still get finished eventually. It would similarly cause her not to look too deeply into Yasmin's compliment for hints of the former noblewoman's sarcasm. It would not, however, change her plans. "Yep! Let's give it a test run," the void rabbit would proclaim cheerfully following Nadim's comments. "I'm still not very familiar with the streets so I think you should go scout it out. I'm trusting you to find a decent spot around some overpriced carts, Nadim! Good luck!" She would dismiss the smoothest of their group. "I'll get our trial batch of goods. Rabi, come with me," she would tow the effeminate youth to the chest of goods.

Once there, she would hand the pitcher she had set aside to him. "Fill this with water, we're taking it with us. I have a plan," she explained quickly before beginning to dig through the treasure. Xara would lay her nice traveling cloak onto the ground and would fish out the rings, bracelets, and chokers, laying them onto the cloak one by one before finally folding it up over the lot of them and tying it up. Afterward she would get the spare that had been given to her by the group of thieves when she had first joined them and don it before hoisting her sack of goods and returning to the group at large along with Rabi in order to explain her plan, or at least as much of it as she intended to explain. "I'm only bringing the small, light jewelry for our first outing, just in case we need to run. Rabi will be bringing a pitcher of water along, I have an idea for it! Other than that it's just a matter of getting the cart to wherever Nadim takes us when he gets back and then pretending to be merchants as best we can!"

Following that small explanation the voidic thief would field any comments or questions as best she could until Nadim returned, at which point she would do her best to aid in moving the cart to its intended location and setting the rings and jewelry she had brought along on display. After that it was a matter of waiting for customers and putting theory into practice.

 

[Takimaru]

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

Xara's heart-searching, deep as it was, would go unnoticed by the lovesick carpenter, who only did his best to keep such affection from bursting out of the gaps. It likely only clouded the issue further. Did Ilias even know what he was feeling?

But such thoughts wouldn't continue for long, as the sign would be finished before then. The bunnygirl was in charge this time around, as the shop project was ultimately her operation, her enterprise. Even Nadim would obediently go along with the command given to him and set off in search of a good spot, but not before giving Yasmin her obligatory kiss and shooting Xara a sly wink.

With Nadim on his task, it was time for Rabi to go about his. A much simpler task, though he didn't take to it as quickly.

"Um, alright..." replied Rabi rather quietly as he turned his eye to one of the large clay jugs sitting in the shanty house, just left of the entrance. There was some obvious hesitation upon his feminine expression, and it wouldn't be difficult for Xara to guess as to why. "Is it really okay for me to use this water?" His politeness regarding the topic wasn't unfounded. Water was expensive in Deun, despite being an utterly necessary commodity, to the point where gifts of water between individuals wasn't uncommon. Or perhaps he too was thirsty and yet unwilling to admit as much, considering the longing gaze he gave the container.

Either way, he would put aside his initial reluctance and fill the pitcher as the bunnygirl ordered, then follow her outside to meet the others.

"Sounds good," said Safiya in response to Xara's outlining of the plan. "It'd be sort of weird with all of us there, so Ilias and I will be keeping an eye out for thieves or anyone up to no good. Same with Nadim. So I'm guessing it could be you, Rabi and Yasmin to handle sales?"

Xara could put in her view on the matter, though with Yasmin present it could be difficult to do so in the most direct of ways. Still, she was given more than just a few minutes to weave her words, given that they had to wait on Nadim to return anyway.

The red-haired thief would return in less than twenty minutes, giving ample time for the Void Rabbit to engage in light diplomacy. "Found a spot," said the thief. "But we'll have to hurry. It's in a pretty uh, exclusive district, and hey... you asked for overpriced shops, so you got it. Here, let me help."


"I can take care of it," interrupted Ilias, but Nadim wasn't about to relinquish his duty entirely. As they had once done to Xara, the two males took the cart from each end, before proceeding to move the bulky stand to where it needed to go. They traversed across a large plank to a neighboring building and down a flight of steps, then through several streets and alleys. It was a long journey to get to their destination, or at least, felt like it. When they finally arrived, the two heaved a sigh of relief. Safiya and Yasmin weren't too far behind, but kept a safe distance unless Xara needed any of them to be closer, and the boys took a step back so that the bunnygirl could set up shop as she pleased.

A look around also showed that the district they were in was... different. The buildings around them were bigger, better-maintained, and even the stalls adjacent to her sold marvelous and high-end goods. To the left, one seller was peddling fine jewelry, and to the right, fine carpets. Though there were undoubtedly some nice products in Xara's own inventory, it was difficult not to feel at least a little out of place in this affluent district.

"Ugh... these types," grumbled Safiya under her breath.

Still, despite the initial awkwardness of setting up, it didn't take long for Xara to get her very first potential customer. A man as tall as Ilias, dressed in immaculate white robes and sporting a well-trimmed beard, paused to take a gander. He couldn't help but raise a curious brow at the girl's selection. "Hmm. From where did you acquire these goods, might I ask?"

 

[Hafnium]

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

"Huh? Of course!" The void rabbit would respond enthusiastically to Rabi's question about the water. "You're part of the team now, right? What's ours is yours! Well, within reason of course. Don't start a water fight with it or anything." The petite thief's charity was not without reason, the more indebted Rabi felt to her group the less likely he was to snitch on them or turn on them. While she liked Rabi and certainly wanted him to feel comfortable, she didn't mind having things to hold over him in the future either. "Have a drink if you're thirsty, just make sure that the pitcher is full afterward!"

Later on at Safiya's response, Xara wouldn't argue and instead just offered a nod. She might not have liked working with Yasmin, but whatever experience the bratty former noblewoman had would be useful for pricing their stock. She had no complaints about what came next either as the redheaded thief prepared to lead them to a spot, beyond a vague feeling that seeing Nadim and Ilias pick up the cart from both ends reminded her of something that she couldn't quite put her finger on. With no other orders to give, she would simply follow along and help where she could as they navigated the streets.

She would let out a low whistle as she caught sight of the area they'd be selling in. Xara might have felt out of place if she hadn't been grappling with envy instead. The rabbit wondered just how much she would have to climb in order to live in the opulence of one of the massive buildings around the street. Working around them would serve as a nice reminder of the effort she needed to put in so that she could escape poverty, Nadim had done well in his selection. It was all the more reason to get moving on laying the day's wares out.

The void rabbit would carefully lay out each piece of jewelry she had brought that day, with the nicest in front in order to attract potential buyers. She put faith into Safiya, Nadim, and Ilias on the sidelines and the niceness of the area to protect the goods from any smash and grabs. Once everything was set up she would begin discussing prices for each item with Yasmin, though only long enough for their first potential customer to arrive.

And it quickly became time for her first lie in the venture to be told. She couldn't very well tell them that they had a reputable vendor, the man probably knew her inventory's origin better than she did, and she couldn't tell him the truth, she'd seem crazy. What better way to sway the man than a lie steeped in truth though? "Treasure hunters," she would cheerfully reply as if it was completely normal. "They find goods and we sell it for them in exchange for a cut!" She wasn't quite done yet though, beckoning him to lean in over the cart with her fingers and then bringing herself closer to him brought a hand to the side of her mouth to conspiratorially whisper into his ear. "Can I be honest with you though? They usually get it from raiders out in the desert. We invest in them and they clear the bandits out and bring their stashes of goods back to us. After we make every effort to ensure that the returnable pieces are given back to their rightful owners we sell what's left and give them a fair portion to go out all over again. It's a bit gory but it keeps the trade routes safer and keeps me in business."

Then she would pull back and add in a more normal pitch; "are you interested in anything, sir?" With any luck the man would buy into the idea that he'd just been given some great secret knowledge and even the concept that purchasing from the cart was the same as contributing to a charity meant to protect the interests of men like himself. Both of those could go a long way in greasing his purse. The story had even largely been based in truth. The bald men could've been considered bandits and Xara and Safiya themselves could've been considered treasure hunters, and it just so happened that a fair share consisted of 'all of it.'

 

[Takimaru]

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

"I... see," started the man, stroking his chin with what seemed to be a healthy degree of initial skepticism at Xara's explanation. But the Voidic saleswoman's words were carefully chosen. Her gradual peeling back of the initial facade to be more honest with him did much to gain the rabbit purchase over the stranger's trust. Little did he know, however, that behind the layer of lies was merely another one... and perhaps, if he were to probe a little deeper, another one still. But the story as it stood was believable enough for him. It wasn't that far-fetched given the usual dealings of Deunic traders, and had just enough of an edge to explain why a relatively plain shop was peddling such fine accessories.

"I suppose it explains a bit," he finally replied with a somewhat relieved smile, hesitating less to take a closer look at the wares. "I'm in search of something for my sister's birthday, but she absolutely hates gold things, you see. Insists on jewelry made of silver. And I couldn't help but notice that you had nothing but. So, something befitting a tall girl..." added the man, taking a moment to scratch the back of his head as he furrowed his brow, focusing on the selection of armlets, necklaces and bracelets that were laid out. While he certainly wasn't a poorly dressed man by any sense, it looked as though he wasn't entirely confident of the tastes of the recipient he was buying the gift for, other than her preferred material. He then paused to take a glance around him, as if he was looking out for someone, but didn't appear to find whoever it was he was looking for.

"Um... might I suggest this one, sir?" Rabi chimed in to reclaim the potential customer's attention. Xara's effeminate assistant reached forward to pick up one of the wider armlets. "The shape and size of this makes it so that her arms won't look too long, if that's something she's sensitive about."

"Is it ever, young miss! It's not easy being a tall girl, I suppose. Or so I've been told by her many times," laughed the man. "So, will 300 be enough?" Rabi couldn't help but to blush as the man dipped a hand into his robes to fish out his money. Though Xara's ears were well-hidden, they wouldn't fail to catch the jingle of the stranger's coin.

However, as he was doing so, the bunnygirl would feel the nudge of a sharp elbow upon her side. It was from Yasmin, whose eyebrow gave a twitch as her mouth crinkled with disapproval. Given the rather annoyed look in her expression, the price that the man proposed was far too low for such an item... or at least by the former noblewoman's standards.

 

[Hafnium]

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

Xara's grin was wide as the man bought her story and took a look at their wares. Of course, even if the man hadn't bought her lie and tried to peel the truth away he would've just found layer after layer of lie until he was so burdened by them that he couldn't tell north from south. That was how Xara preferred to operate. When it came to obscuring the truth she preferred to blanket it under so many lies such that only increasing glimpses of it shone through as each was pulled away. Eventually almost everybody would buy one of those layers and stop before they found what they thought they were seeking.

And then Rabi added his own comment, and for a brief moment Xara knew that she'd just have to kiss the effeminate youth for his well-placed advice, or that she would've if she'd figured out whether he preferred girls or boys yet. The man liked it and was willing to pay three-hundred coins! For such a silly, worthless little trinket! That was a barrel of water and a half! Food for all five of them for a day and more! She had to force herself not to beam at the offer. Or she did until Yasmin elbowed her and made it obvious that the man was actually trying to haggle them far short of a reasonable price.

Of course, while that was good to know, it didn't actually indicate how much more she should charge for it. So she began to talk, buying time as she took a gamble in trying to determine what her counter offer should be. "Sir, I'd never ask you to pay the usual asking price for jewelry that had been tarnished by a bandits' hands, but we've got to make a little bit on these things or we'll go out of business! Surely you can see that it's worth at least...."

While she spoke, her hand slid south of the counter and she tapped Yasmin on the leg twice, and then began to count on the outside of her leg by pressing her fingers against the limb. She started with four, then went up to five, then went to six by pressing all five of her fingers and then bringing all but one away in rapid succession, then seven in the same manner, eight, and so on. She was gambling on Yasmin giving her another elbow when she reached the number it usually would've went for. If Yasmin did catch on and give her a number, Xara would finish her sentence based on that number, likely falling a few-hundred short of it, but if Yasmin didn't catch on then the void rabbit would settle at five-hundred coins for the item.

 

[Takimaru]

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

While Xara's improvised response could have been argued as flawless in its execution, her supposed accomplice still left a bit to be desired. As soon as she felt the first tap, Yasmin instinctively turned her gaze down and to the side--directly at the point of contact as if someone was trying to pick her pocket. She was the one who developed the code, and yet her momentary look of surprise showed that she wasn't expecting such an immediate response. However, once the bunnygirl got to five taps, Yasmin would give her the slightest of nudges to confirm the price.

"I see... no, you're likely right in that," replied the man. "I apologize--womens' jewelry isn't exactly my strong suit! Then, five hundred it will be." Reaching into his satchel of money, he produced the proper amount in five heavy, gleaming coins each marked '100', placing them on the counter of the wooden stand that Ilias had constructed earlier in the day. It was a denomination of coin that Xara had seldom, if ever, seen before, but seeing as Yasmin nor Rabi made any protests after eyeing the currency, the pieces certainly appeared to be genuine.

"Thank you for your business, ladies," said the customer in farewell after the item was graciously placed into his hands--a task that Rabi would gladly undertake if Xara was too entranced by the newly acquired coin. With a smile and a bow of his head, he would then turn to leave and make his way back into the street. The Six Oases' Treasures very first transaction. A success! And a reasonable amount from the looks of it, as even Yasmin didn't appear too annoyed after the fact.

But before Xara could count her blessings in detail, she heard a grunt just a few paces away. It was from her most recent customer. Someone in a dark maroon garment had collided into him, and began to make their way off with obvious haste. While the victim began to pat himself down for the armlet he had just purchased, the stranger who had bumped into him had already begun to head down the street, making as much distance as possible with a calm yet purposeful stride.

"Wait! Thief!" cried the bearded man, but he had already lost visual track of the one who snatched from him. Xara, however, could still see the thief... and could likely catch up with him if she were to make a sprint for it. She could also call out to Nadim or even Safiya, who were closest to that side, but it was difficult to tell if they had also borne witness to the event or even knew what the perpetrator looked like.

 

[Hafnium]

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

Even as experienced a liar as she was, Xara couldn't keep the gleam from appearing in her eyes as she watched the man count out the five hundred-piece coins for his purchase. Wonderful, jingling, sparkling, beautiful money! In exchange for a single trinket! And unlike the trinket, the coins were actually useful! Coins could be traded for food, for water, and for shelter! Coins could be traded for safety! They could just about be traded for happiness! Pretty, pretty coins!

She had to shake herself out of it to keep herself from drooling as she dragged the coins over to her side of the stall and allowed Rabi to handle giving the man his merchandise. "The pleasure was all ours," it was probably the most believable and honest thing Xara had said all day, and the look in her eyes was so wistful and her tone so dreamy that they practically matched the way she'd sounded and acted after Nadim and Ilias and double-teamed her. Making her first sale wasn't a match for how good that had felt, but it was probably the closest she had come outside of her other bouts with Ilias.

The voidic thief wouldn't be given an opportunity to bask in that feeling before her first customer went and got himself robbed though. She recognized what had happened immediately, mostly because she'd used that same tactics a few times in the past and had tried and failed at it the day she'd come into town. She was a bit delayed in reacting despite knowing the thief's trick well though, if only because it was so surreal being on the merchant's side of witnessing a pickpocketing. Once she got over the amusement of it, however, she sprung into action. "You two, handle the shop! Big sis, with me!" The void rabbit would call out her orders before sprinting after the thief, leaving the coin for Rabi and Yasmin and the two others watching them to handle.

Xara, of course, didn't care a bit about the safety of the man's purchase. He was no longer a valued customer, after all, he'd already parted with his coin and what happened was his problem. The only reason she went running after the thief was because she had a job offer for the person, and she was willing to deliver it with a tackle if needed.

 

[Takimaru]

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

"Got it!" came the confirmation from Xara's 'big sister', and the smaller thief wouldn't have to look back to know that she had support, even if the ambient sounds of Jadiram's daily bustle masked the rapid rhythm of their collective footfalls. The fact that the bunnygirl's large ears were hidden also kept her from using them to their fullest, and so she had to rely on visual cues to keep track of the fleeing pickpocket. And what a task it was. Whoever this stranger was, they were undeniably quick, darting in and out of the ever-shifting crowd, through alleys and smaller streets before diving into larger avenues. It took no small degree of Xara's focus just to not lose them, and certainly took a large portion of her speed just to keep up with the individual.

At least she knew they had the physical aspect of the job down, as the Void Rabbit herself was no slouch when it came to running, especially long distances. But Safiya's panting growing louder and louder a few paces behind her reminded Xara that the chase had perhaps gone on for longer than it should have. The blur of her surroundings looked far less familiar by this point, and she too could feel the burning sensation in her lungs building up as fatigue began to take hold. Clearly, this thief had stamina that both Xara and Safiya didn't... or did they? The cloaked figure stopped in a rather deserted dead-end alley before turning around, their heaving frame showing that they too weren't immune to the effects of the prolonged chase.

The hooded figure stopped and quickly turned, holding a hand out as if calling for Xara to pause. It gave them just enough time to find relief from the situation, however, as several more shrouded figures like them emerged from the edges of the rooftops above. Two dropped down next to the heaving thief while the others stayed up top. As Safiya dashed in to join Xara, one more fell to a crouch behind the two girls, as if to trap them in. They had successfully lured her into what was undoubtedly their territory, though the tactics they appeared to employ were somewhat more aggressive than those that Safiya, Yasmin, Nadim and Ilias used on a daily basis.

"Hahh, hahh... s-so this is how you guys play it, huh?" asked Safiya in between ragged breaths, her eyes scanning and making a count of their potential assailants as she did so. One, two, three, four, five, six that she could see at first. Seven, counting the one behind them. The mysterious pickpocket's 'backup' was quite a ways away from the crime scene... but they definitely weren't lacking in force, from the looks of it. The blonde's query was met with silence as the group loomed threateningly over the pair.

After taking a moment to finish the count, Safiya whispered to Xara. "I'll take care of this. You get back out of here," she said calmly, though her face was already covered in sweat. Big sis was capable, no doubt, but there was no saying what would happen to her if the bunnygirl were simply to leave as she suggested. Looking back, Xara would find that the one blocking their way was of a larger build, comparable to Safiya herself in stature, but the bunnygirl could likely dash past him if she tried by running along the wall or sliding down and past, between his legs.

 

[Hafnium]

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

"Aw man, no fair," Xara muttered between gasping for air as they chased the thief into a dead end only to quickly be outnumbered. It was definitely a tight spot, perhaps even more than when they'd been on a boat chase in another world entirely. As much as she believed in her 'big sister,' she didn't believe that they would be able to easily walk away from a two versus seven fight. Worse, she was out of breath and her legs burned for the case and Safiya probably wasn't in much better shape, while the opposing group was mostly fresh. Still, she wasn't scared.

After all, if they'd really wanted Safiya and her at their mercy, they'd have probably already knocked the two out. At the very least they'd have advanced on the two. This was a show of force to get the void rabbit and her 'big sister' to back off of their member and give up the loot without any further struggling. Or at least she imagined that's how she'd have handled it in their position. No need to risk bringing guards or bigger crimes into it, just make a show of force to let them know who's keeping the haul, maybe strip the pursuers of their own valuables, and send them away. Beyond that, Xara was confident that her group would come if she was gone with Safiya for too long. The petite thief felt relatively assured about the gamble she was about to make.

"Nah," she casually replied to Safiya. "We're both walking out of here. You know the others probably aren't far behind us and I don't think our company really wants to make things any messier than it has to be,," she pondered aloud. The void rabbit didn't have to fake much confidence as she spoke, but acting was a part of lying and she was experienced enough at both to manage it. "I couldn't care less about what you lift from a rich man, he already paid us for it anyway," she continued, looking toward the pickpocket. "I was only chasing you because I had a business proposal," she suggested. She would glance around, trying to keep an eye on the various thieves surrounding Safiya and her. If they tried to ensnare the two further then Xara would simply have to grab Safiya's wrist and make a break for it, but otherwise she would give the group some time to process her words before continuing.

"I want you to keep stealing from our customers. Especially the richest ones. In exchange, I'll buy back whatever you steal from them for fifty percent of what they paid for it on the exact same day. I'll cycle it back into my inventory and then I'll sell it again a month or so later and we'll do it all over," she was hopeful that they'd go for it but she didn't allow it to show. It would take care of her non-replenishing inventory problem and yet would keep her own group's hands relatively clean, but if she revealed just how beneficial the arrangement would be to her then negotiations would certainly be more difficult.