86 - Contact

“Should I go and grab a guard, miss?” an onlooker asked.

Sable glanced at him, but didn’t have to think long about her response. She didn’t know how guards treated thieves in this world, or how crime was dealt with in general, but she was worried it wasn’t kindly, regardless of if this girl seemed to be a teenager or not. If punishment meant her being thrown in prison or even something more ghastly like being hanged, then Sable had no intention of letting that happen. She knew this world was brutal, but she would do her best to help where she could. If she ever lost sight of that, she would become a tyrant in the true sense, the shades of dark-gray morality she dabbled in turning black.

“No, that’s fine,” she replied to the man. “I’ll handle this.” She squeezed tighter on the teenager’s upper arm, then lugged her forward. The girl stumbled a step, but kept pace—because she didn’t have much choice. “Come with me. Don’t run.”

Sable let go, and the girl darted away.

Annoyed, Sable caught her; she barely made it three steps away. She seemed faster than a normal person ought to be, indicating a possible class, but still, she wasn’t nearly fast enough to outrun Sable. If she was a [Thief] rather than a regular one, then she was probably low level.

“Try that again, you’ll lose whatever goodwill I have left. Understand?”

The girl nodded. Her eyes were watering in pain, her broken wrist likely becoming more painful by the moment. Sable only halfway blamed herself for that; the girl had contributed the most to the injury with all her thrashing, and she had been trying to rob Sable. Still, Sable wasn’t the kind of person who liked hurting twelve or thirteen year old kids, thieves or not, so she did feel guilty.

She didn’t like all the eyes on them, so she gave a pointed look to the girl, then released her arm for a second time. Something in her tone and voice must have convinced the girl; green eyes darted left and right, but she didn’t flee. Panic was still plain on her face, but she knew she couldn’t escape Sable, not without some kind of distraction or other opportunity. She recognized Sable as being at least moderately high level, considering the complete ease she’d stopped her from running.

“Come. I have a healing potion back at my room.” She’d brought a smattering of supplies, but had been traveling light throughout the city; she hadn’t expected to need a healing potion when all she’d wanted to do was eat and look at the market. Maybe it would be smart to carry along that sort of basic assurance from now on. Not for her, but in case she hurt anyone—or found anyone hurt.

“Healing … potion?” the girl said, her first time speaking. She sounded even younger than she looked, which pained Sable a second time. As for the confusion in her voice—undoubtedly, she hadn’t expected Sable to offer to help her. Especially since potions weren’t all that cheap to the general public.

“Is it broken?” Sable asked.

The girl looked down at her wrist, then tried to move it. She sucked in a breath of air, and her already pale face went a bit paler. Sable suspected the reason she’d been able to ignore the pain was adrenaline, but that would wear off rather fast. And maybe she had a bit of natural toughness. It didn’t take a genius to look at the girl’s scruffy attire and assume she hadn’t had the easiest of lives.

“I think so,” the girl replied.

“Hm. We’ll fix it shortly. Why did you go for me?”

“What?”

“Seems unwise,” Sable said. “Surely you could have told that I wouldn’t be an easy mark. Why rob adventurers?”

The girl just looked at her.

“And what’s your name? I’m not taking you to the guards, by the way, so stop looking for a way to escape. We’re gonna have a talk, then I’ll let you go.”

More staring.

“I asked for your name.”

“ … Jade.”

Sable snorted in amusement. It was a funny name for a street-rat thief, though she couldn’t place exactly why. “So, tell me. Why’d you go for me?”

“You weren’t paying attention. Lost in thought. I could tell.”

Sable supposed that had been true; her mind had been on her many goals and future plans, like they always were these days. “But I’m clearly classed, aren’t I? So why risk it?”

“Better payout.”

Was it that simple?

“Gotten away with it before, too,” Jade said. “Even adventurers can get distracted. Think they’re too good to be robbed or something. Makes it even easier, honestly. They’ll not notice what’s happening right in front of them, stats or not.” She frowned. “Usually. But you reacted so fast.”

Sable hummed. She was pleased that the girl didn’t seem to be denying anything and was even answering her questions. She knew staying in Sable’s good graces was her easiest way out of this situation. Though, her eyes still flicked back and forth, tracking the crowd and openings, looking for an opportunity to escape.

“Don’t try it,” Sable repeated. “You won’t lose me. Like I said, I don’t plan to turn you in. We’re just going to talk.”

“About?”

“You,” Sable said. “And maybe your connections.”

Wariness crossed Jade’s face. “Connections? What d’you mean?”

“A classed thief? You have some.”

“No I don’t.”

Sable raised her eyebrows.

“You know how long I’d last if I went giving them away?” Jade warily corrected. “No, I’m no snitch.”

“You would be, if I wanted you to be,” Sable said. “But that’s not why I’m asking. I’m new to the city. Just want to know my way around.”

She didn’t mean the overt threat, of course, but it came out with chilling nonchalance regardless—and amusingly made Jade relax. Sable supposed she was convincing enough; falling back on her natural, regal air, she could leverage a somewhat callous, sinister image, one that Jade was presumably used to dealing with. It marked her, at least, as someone unlikely to be trying to weasel out Jade’s ‘contacts’ for a lawful reason.

She hadn’t planned on earning a contact in the criminal underworld of the city, but with an organic opportunity arising, she figured it was worth entertaining the idea. She had no clue what she’d need it for, but again—more options was always better. And she could trust Jade in the sense that their meeting had been happenstance, and thus any relationship was safer because of it, though obviously she couldn’t really trust her.

The two of them made a quick pace through the city. Health potions were more effective when used quickly after an injury, so she wanted to get it to Jade without much delay. Plus, letting the girl stew in concern—and pain—would make her more malleable, Sable figured. She did want to let her sweat a bit.

She wasn’t fully sure what she was going to do with her, though. She hadn’t wanted to hand her off to the guards, but neither had she wanted to just let her go, either. The possibility of making a contact—if admittedly a small one—in the criminal world was a practical benefit, but obviously not the main reason Sable had decided to lug her along. That was simple concern.

The girl followed Sable up into her room, and Sable handed off a red vial. She seemed baffled that Sable really was giving it to her, probably because they were valuable—to someone like her, at least—but she downed it nonetheless.

The magical liquid coursed through her, and though she winced when she twisted her wrist side to side, testing it, the potion seemed to take care of the worst of the injury.

“Alright,” Sable said. “Let’s find somewhere to eat, then we’ll talk.”

She picked an inn close by in the adventurer’s district, then ordered several more plates of food. She hadn’t actually fully sated her hunger, so the detour wasn’t wholly a bad thing—though she would rather be at the market, right now. She also ordered Jade a plate, who, again, despite seeming highly dubious about this bizarre encounter she’d landed in with her would-have-been mark, picked up a fork and started scarfing down her meal.

“Now,” Sable said, still working her own way through plate after plate of her food—to Jade’s slowly growing incredulity, as with all of the staff and patrons prior. “You’re classed, then. Recent. Low level. What kind? [Thief]? I’ll admit some curiosity, and if you’re amenable, you’ll leave without any problems. But only if you’re amenable.”