While Meilin would have, on normal occasion, deemed herself too prideful to be seen anywhere in the Agora, her feet had brought her to its dusty streets that morning. Thin leather shoes crushed dirt underfoot, grinding it into fine powder, and she winced a little at the sensation of sharp pebbles and sediments dig into her soles. Meilin made a mental note to request for new shoes from her mother afterwards. Nowadays, everything went to Cheng Hao and Erqing, who were the oldest pair of the Dōngfāng children. While typically much too preoccupied with her books to care, she found it a very sore subject now that her lack of new footwear was causing her some discomfort.
Rui Kai glanced up at her questioningly. She smiled reassuringly at her little brother and squeezed his hand. He was such a dear, having chosen to accompany her on this unlikely venture. Though Meilin was absolutely certain he didn't need any assistance getting his way around, it was mildly comforting to have a familiar presence by her side while she navigated the noisy, bustling Agora.
She wasn't looking for anything in particular. It was already interesting on its own surveying the disorganised rows of shops declaring their wares, a subtle contrast to the more specialised shops of the more developed marketplaces. Her jade bangle cool against her wrist, with her Egyptian-blue chiton billowing in the slight wind, and a young boy by her side, Meilin cut a rather eye-catching figure amongst the common folk. Perhaps a little too eye-catching, she thought. There was no telling what thieves and tricksters lay in waiting around corners of the outer circle. As if on reflex, she tucked her hand closer to her body, for that was the only object of value she could think of on her person.
Yet luck wasn't on her side today. As soon as she entered a particularly crowded section of the Agora, Meilin felt a small chill snake down her spine. Superior gut feel? Perhaps it was time to leave. Why did she have this constant, nagging feeling that something, or rather someone, was watching her with an atypical intensity? Meilin pulled Kai closer to her. She heard him yelp and felt his scowl, then she said rather casually, as if remarking about the weather, "We should turn back now, Kai."
Then it happened so quickly Meilin could have sworn her wrist was simply brushed. But she knew it wasn't so. One moment, the green bangle with its thin ivory streaks was there. The next moment it was gone. Gone. And the thief, oh Gods, was moving so quickly. He appeared to be one with the crowd. The people around them were moulding around his figure in rapid motion, so swiftly for a second Meilin could only stand rooted into the ground and stare.
Rui Kai, always the calm and discerning, suddenly gave a shout. "Mei! That man just took your bangle, for goodness' sake!"
His voice snapped her out of her momentary trance. Meilin dropped her brother's hand, firmly shook his shoulder and delivered an instruction to return home. "Home? But a patrolling guard-" as usual, her brother was miles more meticulous than she was, but Meilin spared no second's waste in hitching up her chiton and breaking into a run after her thief. "Mei!"
Oh, he certainly picked the wrong person to steal from. Her bangle was her treasure, a family heirloom that had lasted for generations, brought to Greece from Lands Afar. There was no way she was going to let a petty thief get his hands on it and sell it for some paltry sum of money. Meilin would literally murder to have it back. Not to mention, her mother would kill her if she ever lost it for good. She kept her eyes trained on his head of messy curls (the only defining feature she could make out from this distance) and ignoring the sting of pain as small stones cut into her skin, wrestled her way through the crowd with a shocking speed most would not have expected from such a svelte young lady.
Oh, she was going to catch him, all right. And if Kai meant what he said, he would be fetching a guard to come to their aid. Meilin was going to ensure this sorry man spent his time in prison.
They were due to leave Athenia at any moment, but to say Zephyrus was reluctant would be an understatement. As the months had turned it was obvious that the Children of Mnesmonye was not turning a profit, technically, his lover's decision to disband their little band of performers and misfits was one that was left with little choice - but that did not mean Zephyrus had to be happy with the plan. And to add on to that, he had decided that they would head to Taengea, find his family in Acaris... and basically, Zeph would have to leave behind everything he was ever familiar with.
A disgruntled feeling had bloomed in his chest, but not wanting to start a row with Basilides, and understanding that the producer was having a tough time right now, Zeph was doing his best in being an understanding lover. So instead, he had retreated away from the home they shared as Bas crunched numbers on a sheet of parchment, and chose to wnader around on the dusty streets in the Agora. The young man wasn't dressed very finely, and no one would mistake him for a high-end lad. Dusty black pants was coupled with a simple black tunic, and bare feet meant his legs met hot ground as he wandered, eyes like a magpie.
He did not make it a habit in him to steal - Zephyrus earned his coin as a performer. But even then, the earning was a mere pittance, and somehow the young male had gotten it into his head that perhaps, just maybe, if he could get enough, the problems his lover had could be solved?
There was an abundance of people in the Agora that day... which likely boosted Zephyrus's confidence, really. The girl that had caught his eye had been different in her features, but what had caught the young acrobat's eyes had not been her features, but rather what she wore on her hand. Jade was a rare resource here in Greece, and Zephyrus knew, even with his limited knowledge when it came to gems and precious stones, that its sale would fetch a hefty price.
And desperation drives people to do silly things.
The plan had been simple, to just slip it off her slender wrist as he orchestrated a knock into her, not difficult considering the amount of people available at the Agora, and then walk off.For an athelete and a trained acrobat, Zephyrus moved fast.
But what he had not expected, was the younger boy next to his target to notice just as quickly.
The moment the shout rang out, Zephyrus wasted no time in taking off. He was deft as he weaved through the people, lithe in his movement in a way others could not, not without the training he has had. The bangle was held firmly in his hands, as he vaulted over a cart selling flatbread and honey, his feet's skin tough enough for the pebbles not to bother him as he ran. Making sure he darted in and out between the walls of people so she would lose sight of him, the acrobat moved like an arrow as he ran.
Taking a corner, the young boy took off down an alley, yet despite tehre being a wall leading to a dead end, Zephyrus was not phased. Instead, he jumped and grabbed on to a nearby roof, vaulting himself up and clambering on to the top of the wall, throwing a look behind him to ensure the girl had not caught up, before his behind settled on the wall, holding the bangle up to the sun, eyes scrutinizing. "How much are you worth, you pretty little thing?"
All it took was a single chase to tell Meilin that perhaps she should run more often, but her muscles gradually eased into a comfortable rhythm as she furiously pushed past throngs of startled people. Tall. With curly hair. Looking rather like a brigand. Then again, many of the common folk couldn't afford lavish enough clothing to look otherwise. She felt the chase end before it had even truly started - This man was a true trickster. He dipped in and out of all the bobbing heads around them and if she had been shorter, Meilin wouldn't have been able to keep her eyes on him at all.
Already, despair began to settle like a stone in her heart. Meilin gathered her lips and blew a lock of raven-black hair away from her face. She watched as he scaled a cart of flatbread and honey like it was no effort at all (was this man an acrobat, or what?), but instead of feeling discouraged, she simply narrowed her eyes and quickened her pace, rounding the same cart rather than leap over it. A woman running after her thief. Now that was a story people could tell their families. It infuriated her how he thought he could steal with her and get away with it. If he thought she was going to sit back and scream for guards to come to her aid, he definitely had another think coming. Not for nothing was Meilin called persistent.
She nearly collided with a street peddler showing off his textiles to a couple of captivated servants, and as the pair scattered with a yelp, Meilin flung a hasty apology over her shoulder. How far was he planning to run? From the way he ducked in and out of various clusters of shoppers, it was evident how this was a practised craft. Either robbing unsuspecting people came naturally to him, or he was simply used to utilising his arms and legs in a precise fashion that it was almost like a dance. Her hair flying out behind like a rippling banner, Meilin kept up her pace, though there was a slight burning sensation in her chest and a constant stinging ache in her feet. Not good.
Sure enough, she lost him after the next corner.
Darn it! Refusing to give up, Meilin turned to the nearest shopkeeper sharply. She must have seen a young man run off in the opposite direction - Everyone else was ambling leisurely with their wares, though several did look a tad ruffled, as if some sort of wind had just blasted past. For once, she was immensely grateful for her observational skills. "Ma'am, have you seen a young man with curly hair run past? Perhaps holding a green bangle? In which direction did he go?" She knew her chances of finding him were very slim. This woman might not have been paying attention at all.
She got her answer faster than she had thought: her thief had taken off down the nearest alley, though the flaxen-haired woman wasn't quite certain if he was carrying anything that remotely resembled her brief description. Yet it was enough for Meilin. She nodded and headed straight for the alley in question, envisioning stumbling upon the man and forcefully wrenching the bangle from his grasp. Though, of course, it could never be that easy. She might have to pull off some moves if she were ever going to retrieve her heirloom and face her mother again.
And indeed she found him, though it wasn't in the place she had imagined.
He was perched atop a wall, fingering the bangle under the sunlight with a look of contemplation written across his face, no doubt wondering how much it could sell for, which was quickly further affirmed by his words, "How much are you worth, you pretty little thing?". What worried Meilin was that it was probably very valuable indeed. Jade was so difficult to come by in the whole of Greece, let alone Athenia, and she wasn't even certain there were two of the same kind here. At this thought, a burst of rage so raw and potent surged up within her, and she seized the nearest streamlined object she could find (in this case, a broom leaning against someone's door) and praying with all her might that Artemis may bless her where Lady Luck had not, pulled back her hand and swung it forward like a javelin, zeroing in on his neck. "Not as pretty as your face would be when I send you to the Guard," she snarled. That sentiment could have been a little too optimistic. It was evident that physically-wise, Meilin was at a huge disadvantage, yet her fury made her reckless. Her fury made her a predator.
It was as if everything was played in slow motion. If her broom even remotely found its mark, it may stun the thief enough for him to drop her bangle. On which side, was the real question. If it fell on the other side of the wall, Meilin had already planned on hoisting herself up using one of those curtains draped over a sturdy washing line. At this close proximity, however, she realised how young the man actually was. He couldn't be more than a few years above 20. Well, age hardly mattered when it came to breaking the law. If the blunt end of her broom failed to connect with its target... Let's just say there were more than enough throwable objects around her she could employ the help of.
Unlike Meilin, Zephyrus was only barely winded as he studied the jade bangle he had managed to knick from the young, foreign looking lady he had managed to lay his eyes on in the Agora. What he had no expected however, was that she actually gave chase. Could she not afford anyone? From the way she had been cladded, Zephyrus figured she could easily find another of similar make, why fuss?
His legs had been swinging like a young lady awaiting his meal to be served him when the dark haired maiden came rounding the corner like a hound on a scent, eyes ablazed as she set her gaze on him. Zephyrus had felt rather then saw her gaze on him, used as he was to people staring at him as he performed. He dodged just in time to avoid the broom tossed in his direction, and would've almost slipped from his precariously perched position on the wall, had he not caught himself in time, something achievable only after years of learning to catch himsef midair.
Finding his balance again, only then did Zephyrus turn an eye to her, and raised a brow as he grinned. "Well, if you were going to scream for a Guard, you would've done so by now, wouldn't you?" he asked in amusement. In a contrary mood if only fueled by his argument the day prior with his lover, Zephyrus's eyes swapped to the bangle again, and then back at the little lady fuming in front of him. The acrobat doubted she could scale the wall, but he still kept a careful eye on her as he spoke.
"This is a pretty little thing though. What do you call it? I don't think I've seen it before around the area. Nor have I seen the likes of you." In truth, Zephyrus had been expecting a heavily accented voice to be speaking. Yet the acrobat had been surprised at the well-versed Greek the foreign girl spoke, as she looked quite unlike your regular Grecian person around.
"You-" Meilin caught herself, then sucked in a deep breath. She was sure the anger showed plainly in her expression, however. She never had the flawless poker face of her sister Erqing. Her current situation was hardly ideal. From the way he had so effortlessly dodged her flying projectile, she was suddenly under the impression that he had some sort of athletic or acrobatic training. Trained to be a thief. It was just her luck to have run into such misfortune that day, and to be so abruptly separated from her little brother, whom she fervently hoped had already alerted a guard on patrol about the robbery.
Kai was smart. Obviously unlike her, because she had stupidly chosen to chase the thief herself. Yet if she didn't, who was to have this conversation with him now while he was perched atop the wall within her reach?
"I don't have to scream if someone's doing it for me," she finally said, privately irked by the amusement laced into his tone. When he inquired about the identity of her bangle, Meilin gathered her lips into a bud and forcefully blew a stray lock of hair away from her face. Lie? Tell the truth? The latter would hardly do her any good. If only, she would serve to confirm his suspicions or expectations and fuel his intent to sell it for a sum of money. Her eyes wandered to the curtain once again. This would be much easier if I knew exactly how I would fare trying to scale a wall with a piece of cloth.
Unfortunately, Meilin never had to scale a wall with a piece of cloth, ergo such a thought or worry soon became useless. Her heart roared in her ears. 'It's a type of stone," she began carefully, in an equally modulated tone, selecting her words like a fussy Noble might when presented with a selection of fruits. "I wouldn't be surprised if you never saw it before - It probably isn't local at all to these regions, though beyond it, I cannot say." The last part was somewhat true. Having never been outside of Athenia, it was virtually impossible for her to tell if any of the outerlying kingdoms possessed jade.
She didn't tell him she didn't think so, however. Her mother had once told her this striking ornamental stone was native to her motherland, and that was, to say the least, miles and miles away from home. "You mustn't have been around here often, then, to which I wouldn't be surprised. My brother and I must have seemed like easy pluckings." she replied slightly sharply to his next statement. "I have been here all my life, thief."Keep him talking. Check. What's next?
Attack? No, that would be a folly. Meilin hardly understood the extent of his athletic abilities. Supposed he tried to hurt her? Convince? She fixed the curly-haired young man with her penetrating gaze, the gears in her head already beginning to spin rapidly. "My bangle. Could you give it back?" Even her own words sounded corny to her ears, but Meilin suppressed her cringe and pushed on, "I have drachmas on me. You have no need for that accessory."
He wasn't known to be... well, nice. Zephyrus was cheeky, and very naughty to a certain extent. It was half the reason why he and Basilides ended up in so much arguments, for he was hot headed on top of his playful streak as well, and that just boiled down to his lover being angry with him most of the time. Of course, he was great at soothing Basilides's ruffled feathers... but other's, not so much. Occasionally rubbing them up the wrong way was no surprising factor for the young acrobat, and he barely flinched as the girl he had taken from had anger flutter across her eyes.
Raising a brow at her irked reply to him, Zephyrus's amused smile merely grew, as he gestured at the otherwise deserted alleyway they were in, his legs swinging beneath him like a monkey taunting a human. Her offer of the information that what he held was some sort of stone had Zephyrus picking up the gleaming green bangle to his eyes, studying it curiously. He had never seen such a stone before, for it looked solid and quite unlike the precious gems Zephyrus had seen people wear from Colchian mines. Its smooth surface had grainier bits on it, and it all seemed to meld together like marble... but he had never seen green marble before.
Turning back as she spoke, he cocked his head to a side, and then shrugged. "I'm here often enough, but you are right. You are horribly easy pickings." he smirked, back to taunting her. Her toss of the word thief was met with another easy grin - it didn't phase him. Call him what you may, but Zephyrus would do whatever it takes in the lot of life given to him to survive. If he had to steal? So be it.
"Would your drachmae's be worth as much as this bangle if I sell it?" he murmured, riaisng a brow in question at her. He doubted she would have hundreds of drachmae on her, but hey, who knew?