» in need of a thief

[Sapphira Vanos]

Sapphira stormed out of the mansion, the air crackling with her anger and a hint of magic. Lightning danced along her skin, zapping any of the foolish hired guards of the owners of this particular mausoleum who dared to touch her. Some would say that the lightning was just bit over the top in dramatics, something she had inherited from her mother, Starla Conner Vanos Devlin Bolton fa Toren. Those who dared would suffer more then the sharp side of her tongue because the last thing that the Black Mage wanted or needed was to have anything in common with the woman who birthed her.

Besides it would only serve to infuriate her even more since this current situation since Mommie Dearest was behind this migraine. If she had only known beforehand, she would have never taken the damn job, but Starla had apparently learned to be more underhanded to gain her way. Either that her stepfather, Emelious fa Toren had taken a more active role in helping his wife manipulate her only child. She was going to go with the latter. Her mother wasn't stupid, but being subtle had never been one of her talents.

The situation at hand was a job to escort the son of this 'great' house, with heavy sarcasm added to the great part, from Baaj Island where he had been studying some obscure text of Yevon and lead him home here to Bevelle. It had been a pain in the ass job from day one, with the little shit she had to escort hitting on her and hinting at things best left unsaid. She had just thought him one of those men who thought him Yevon's gift to women, which just showed you that she had been slow this time. The plan had been for her to escort him home and for him to overwhelm her with his 'manliness' (insert an even greater amount of sarcasm here) so that she succumbed to a passion of unprotected sex. Then when she arrived she would be pressured and forced into marriage since she could be carrying the family's next heir and Yevon tended to encourage couples that reproduced to get married.

The plan obviously hadn't worked. So they had to fall a quickly thought up plan B. They wouldn't' pay her until she walked down the aisle with the bloody ass and then she would have access to all the money she wanted. And if this was going by her mother's plan, she would then be expected to spread her legs like a whore and get knocked up, have said baby and then go off to be a Summoner and defeat Sin so her mother could look even more great to her deep as spit friends would envy her for having a High Summoner for a daughter.

Yeah, so not happening.

But that also meant she had wasted, a good month of her time without getting paid. The fact that she had to pay for her own damn expenses meant she was at loss. That was unacceptable. She had to figure out a way to get what she was owed, perhaps a little more just because of the injustice of the whole situation. What she needed was a thief.

With that thought in mind, the Black Mage changed directions and began heading to a shadier part of the Bevelle, where those of nimble fingers were more likely to be found.

[Pax Silas]

Why was he here?

He dreaded this place. For some reason, he decided to return to his beloved hometown - Bevelle. It was still the same, glorified on the outside but full of lies and deceit on the inside. A normal visitor would regard it as a beautiful city, but the cascading waterfalls and the immense palace will never move Pax's deep-seated grudge against this dreadful place. Unfortunately, the region has been milked dry. While staying at Djose, he heard through the grapevine that there was an artifact located in a manor in Bevelle...of all places. There was another opportunity down in Kilika but he devised a plan - quickly hit Bevelle, negotiate a price with his most trusted dealer in Luca and finally board a ship headed for Kilika Island. An artifact that would wield a hefty price, of course. Otherwise, he would have never hid inside that cargo wagon destined for Bevelle.

Maybe it wasn't for the money. It was to satisfy his kleptomaniac urge. Even if it meant to return to Bevelle to get his fix.

Pax would execute his plan after dark and quickly leave afterward. For now, he was lurking in the shadiest part of the city - where thieves, black market dealers, and the maester's harlots roam. Even the most holiest city had it's dark side. He still had time to waste. The night before, he ransacked a few wealthy homes and surveyed the surroundings of his targeted location. The man had no intentions to pay his respects at his mother's tomb, considering it was located on the Weiss' estate. Running on a mere few hours of sleep, he was still wide-awake. His gaze locked on a particular man. He certainly wasn't a thief, a dealer, or a whore - his clothes, his nervous stride, and the jewels he wore made him stick out like a sore thumb. An easy target. Perhaps he was also here to satisfy his own fix - sex - by bedding his whorish mistress.

Pax removed himself from the shadows and joined in a cluster of people walking toward his direction. He momentarily brushed shoulders with a blonde woman who also didn't seem to fit in with this shady crowd.

"Excuse me," he uttered softly and continued forward. When he was near his target, he went in for the kill. He smoothly reached into the man's pocket and grabbed a bag of gil and a necklace that was probably for his lover. After sixteen years worth of crafting his skill, it was like stealing candy from a baby. The man didn't flinch or even noticed and just continued onward. The thief retreated into a nearby alleyway near the brothel and examined the jeweled necklace more closely. Then he crossed his arms, and watched in amusement as the man went inside the brothel, only to return outside moments later.

"God damn thief!" the man cried as he angrily walked out.

Pax couldn't help but to chuckle. "She definitely won't be spreading her legs tonight."

[Sapphira Vanos]

The Black Mage certainly didn't expect a thief to walk up to her an announce his profession or to admit to it if she decided to, as bold as you please, walk into a bar and announce that she was searching for one. A thief, even one who was one because of his battle style against fiends, didn't make friends or last long by letting people know who he was unless he trusted him. Or if was caught in the act, which was the only way she was going to be able to identify one and make contact. Of course, chances were making contact could cause a little problem since no thief would like that and some might get defensive which would make it harder to get it through their thick skull that she wanted to use their skills and not turn them into one of the Warrior Monks.

She kept her eyes open, seemingly not paying attention to anything in particular, but in reality keeping a close eye on everything around her. Chances were she might not run into any thieves tonight, but she would keep trying. She figured it would take at the most three nights before she found and hired one to get her Gil. If her mother and her cohorts thought she'd give in easily to their plans, they were in for a rude awakening. She was her father's daughter, his blood ran through her veins, and she was stubborn and not inclined to let somebody run her life.

Sapphira paused by a building, pretending to be getting a stone out of her shoe as she watched and had to suppress the grin as she spotted a thief in action. It had been the man who had brushed past her before. She watched him from the corner of the eye, deciding not only had she been lucky to spot him but that he would work perfectly. He had the look that would make the servants and people in that house not question his presence, just automatically assume that he belonged. Perfect.

She coughed, hiding a laugh as the man who had just gotten his goods stolen come out angry and looking around for the thief. The victim looked around and it seemed as if his eyes paused too long on her thief. The man wasn't certain, so all it would take was a little nudge to remove suspicion. "Darling," she said, taking the thief's arm and flashing a conspirator's smile. "Sorry to make you wait. Let's go."

She waited until the victimized man no longer looked in their direction before moving on to business. "I have a proposition for you that will make us both very happy, if you're interested."

[Pax Silas]

The thief was slightly alarmed when the same woman who he brushed shoulders with earlier grabbed his arm. Has his thieving ability gone dry? When she addressed him as "darling", he became more amused. A typical but clever decoy. Pax already liked her style and her looks - she had the most striking eyes he had ever seen. When his victim finally stormed off, the woman immediately went straight to business. A customer. "Oh really?" he questioned. For the thief, it was an interesting scenario. He seldom been interested in thieving for the sake of others except during the remainder of his childhood when he ran with a small gang of street rats. The last time he was hired, his client didn't stick to his promise. And Pax, rebellious and angry at the tender age of eighteen, cleaned house and soiled his daughter's sheets the following night.

Honestly, if it was a man that approached him, Pax would've more likely reject an offer. Yet it was a woman and he had a feeling she was different. Perhaps this opportunity would yield a greater profit than his original plan. And if he was extremely lucky, the plans might even intertwined and lead to the same place.

"I might be interested. So...what is this proposition you speak of?"

[Sapphira Vanos]

Now that she could clearly see the man, Sapphira decided that she had done well. True, he was the first thief that she had run into and she had started the process by putting a few of her cards on the table; however, if she had decided that he was wrong, the rest of her cards would have firmly stayed hidden and she would have gone off to find a more suitable thief for her purposes. Couldn't she had helped him, she doubted he would have protested and that proved why he was right. A thief that had gotten angry wouldn't be right for the job and learned just how strong and painful one of her spells were.

"Sfera mansion," she said, naming the home of the rat bastard who belonged to one of the richest and influential families in Bevelle. For generations, they had had at least one son who rose high within the Yevon priesthood. They had yet to have one gain the title of Maester although it wasn't a lack of trying. "I can get you in without being seen." Truth in that since she was a Black Mage and she could cloud the vision of others with a Darkness or Blindness spell. "I guarded their crown prince," heavy sarcasm on the crown prince, "from Baaj Island. I was supposed to be paid 5,000 Gil for completing the job, however I'm being denied payment."

The reason why wasn't really important. And it still infuriated her that they thought she could be a bought bride. As if she was some whore. She had a good idea of the plan. Marry heir. Have a baby or two for the next generation and then badgered into becoming a Summoner and destroy Sin. Her stepfather had taken the time to know her enough to know that if choose that path, she would succeed because failing just wasn't in her nature.

"All I want is my Gil. Your payment is whatever you want to take from the house. From what I've seen of the place, a few pieces can be sold to gain you enough that you can go on vacation for a few years." And as a thief, she knew that he probably had experience in selling such items to his benefit.

[Pax Silas]

Sfera...that rang a bell. They were well-acquainted with the Weiss family. It's not like they will remember him anyway, his stepfather always kept him away from attending any "family affairs". It was very likely that any memory of his mother and him were erased after nearly two decades of her being dead and him being simply gone. He was also examining the perimeter of the Sfera mansion last night before scanning his targeted mansion. The thief listened to the woman's proposition carefully. It was strange - they have accumulated enough wealth to pay his client the 5,000 gil. So then why were they not paying her? Pax didn't dare ask, perhaps it was best to withhold that question. It didn't matter anyway.

Time for a change of plans then.

"You piqued my interest enough..." he began. Then his lips curled into a smirk. "I'll take up the offer and I definitely won't disappoint you, darling. Before we start, you can call me Pax. Pax Silas." He examined their surroundings quickly before talking again. "Lead the way. I suppose you already have a plan Miss...?" His voice trailed off, not knowing the woman's name.

[Sapphira Vanos]

Sapphira was thrilled that the thief's interest in 'liberated' goods was greater then his interest in the hows and whys of her situation. She supposed in the long run it might not matter so much that he knew all the details; after all, she wouldn't be the first person to find others trying to maneuver her life to their wishes. However, unless it was necessary, the little the thief knew the better.

Then, too, she had to consider that he might be hired or bribed by her mother and stepfather to force her into falling into their plans. She only knew this man well enough to know that the chance to steal from a treasure trove like Sfera house was an intriguing offer, not to mention a nice boost to his rainy day nest egg. Who knows what other kind of work he'd accept? No, best to keep the details simple and on a need to know basis.

"V," sh answered. "You can call me V." It after all wasn't a lie. It the initial of her last name and she often used that as an alias when she was doing things that might be considered more questionable to those who had a more clear cut view of right and wrong. She herself saw and approached the world with the view of everything was murky gray and rarely was anything truly white and black, good or bad. Well except Sin. Sin was most definitely bad.

"I figured a simple and straightforward approach would be best. Being one of those upper crest houses, they're a bit arrogant in thinking that they're so high above the rest of us mere mortals to think anyone would actually try to steal from them. There's probably about an even dozen at most that guard the house, so all we need is a little distraction to draw them where we want them and then you can go to work."

She smiled, the kind of smile that children or pranksters were notorious for; that type of smile that was innocent yet somehow you had a feeling that behind that innocence the person was up to no good.

"I heard Bevelle's been rather hot the past few weeks. Dry too. I remember reading in a newspaper this morning that there hasn't been any rain and that the Temple has forbidden wasteful use of the city water on something like say, watering one's garden. Makes things rather dry and flammable. It'd be a shame if a stray bolt of lightning hit a tree in the Sfera garden and started a big fire."

She tugged gently at her magic, causing a little lightning bold to dance down her arm before disappearing. "Fires are quite distracting to everyone in a household, don't you think?"

[Pax Silas]

The thief raised an eyebrow. V? Pax was hoping for a little bit more, but at the same time, it did add some mystery. She was a mysterious, dark, sexy woman - his type of lady (although he'll probably say that for nearly all women). He listened intently as she discussed about her plan. A fire? He then caught a sight of a lighting bolt dancing down her pale arm. She was a black mage. Pax had been with many women, including black mages who were rather a bit... adventurous and aggressive. The thief mind immediately went out of the gutter when the reality of what might happen begin to settle in. What happens if this plan does go terribly wrong? Surely, they will stop the fire with wasteful use of city water or water spells. The thief rubbed the keloid scar underneath the fabric of his shirt. He hoped everything will go as planned.

"They are distracting," he began. "It'll be a very easy job then." Pax needed to be confident, otherwise he'll just tense up and fail. "And what will you do while the fires are ablaze? Where should we meet afterward?"

[Sapphira Vanos]

Sapphira hadn't been reckless in her planning. She knew that it could be dangerous starting a fire during a dry season. Yet she was just arrogant enough in her abilities that she was sure she could keep it under control so it didn't get out of hand. Besides, she knew there was enough mages in the city that could not only perform Water spells, but higher level ones; although only one or two were up to her level and able to perform Wateraga.

"There's a public building, about half a block to the east from the front of the mansion. It's a tall building and roof access is easy. I'll be on the roof," she replied. "It has good view and I shall be able to keep track of the fire from there. If it starts spreading, I'll deal with it." She rubbed her thumb against the palm of her hand, sort of like a reflex and the faint image of water seemed to swirl around it.

She was damn good at being a mage. It was what made this insult to her that much more annoying. She had no need of marriage nor the implications of her mother and stepfather's interference in her life. She would choose her own path, whether it be mercenary or taking on the role of a Guardian. Her lips curved at the thought. She had no doubt if she did that, the Summoner she chose would complete and succeed on their Pilgrimage.


[Sorry took soo long]

[Pax Silas]

The thief mentally pictured the whole layout momentarily. If her magic was as good as she claims it to be, then he should be alright. If not...well, his light feet, athleticism, and agility had helped him escape from plenty of death-defying situations. Hopefully. "Alright then," Pax responded after hearing further details about the plan. He felt more assured about his safety. It's just the thief didn't want another keloid scar, especially after his last sexual escapade that involved fire magic, candle wax, and an adventurous black mage. He shuddered at the thought.
"Well then," he piped up and flashed a brilliant smile. "Shall we start now or shall we wait?" Pax said. If they were going to wait, he had plenty of other ideas swarming through his head. But the thief had to restrain himself. Otherwise, she'll easily burn him to a crisp. "It's your call, V."