It's a Thief's Life For Me! (For Bluedragon1200)

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The drow made it to the wall without an arrow in the back. He thanked the gods for the small victory, but that didn't change the fact that guards were now charging in their direction. Bloody guards, with big swords and angry faces. It wasn't a good image to have on the mind. "Not a one!" he hissed in answer, grabbing her wrist and tugging on her as he bolted along the wall. He didn't have time to think of a plan, or to tell her of one. He just knew that they needed to fly like bats out of hell unless they wanted their blood on those guards' uniforms!

He ran along the wall, keeping within the heavy shadows. A glance to the building proved that there were no archers on the roof...that he could see at least. Another glance behind him and he could see the guards were not gaining. Thank the gods that the weapons and their armor was heavy and slowing them down! "There!" Coren breathed, his bright eyes spotting the entrance to the guard house. It was a double iron gate, and right now, there were only two startled guards.

They just had to get past the gates and to safety, right? Coren glanced down to the boots that he hugged to his chest with one arm and nearly sighed. He couldn't fight with one hand. The attempt at getting nice boots had been a nice one, while it lasted. Figuring that the woman had the idea to run by now, he released her hand and took one of the boots in his dominate left hand. Aiming, he grit his teeth and chucked the boot at one of the gate guards. The poor guards were watching the other guards charging with open mouths. They didn't see the two escapees clinging to the shadows. The heavy boot smacked the closer guard square in the jaw and he yelped, stumbling to the side.

"What the fu-" he began to curse, but Coren and Mara had reached the gate. Coren used his momentum to plow into the guy and shoved him hard into the other guard. Coren came to a stop but the two guards toppled. Coren didn't have time to grin in pleasure at how well that had worked. A shoe to the face and a push? Really? They must have a guardian angel watching them. A guardian angel with a twisted sense of humor at that.

"Go go go!" Coren urged the woman, bursting through the open gates into the streets of the town. The guards were still pursuing them from behind, but now they could lose them in the town and be free! Free and with two hands and an attached head.
 
A startled squeak escaped Mara's lips as Coren grabbed her right wrist. She stumbled slightly and dropped her bread, but quickly matched his pace as they sprinted for the gate. It surprised her that he would think of her and he surprised her again when he gave up his boots to take out a guard. He certainly could have used the boots; it was amazing he could run with the shoes that barely held on to his feet. Mara couldn't believe their luck as they ran out into the deserted streets.

The lamps were growing dim and the windows of the houses were all dark. Against the dark sky, the outline of taller buildings stood out. The city was dense. In midday, it would be easy to disappear within a crowd, even as a dark elf. In the cover of night, they would have to rely on the maze of buildings. A cool wind pushed through the city, heralding an approaching storm. Mara hoped it would mask their sounds, perhaps push something over and provide a distraction. The feeling of freedom gave her a renewed energy. The ache in her side seemed less noticeable.

Without hesitation she grabbed Coren and pulled him down a side street. Haphazardly she wove her way through the city, buildings blurring past her. She kept an eye on the tall buildings which marked the center of the city. She didn't want to run straight out of the city; they would be easy to spot in the open fields. In her random patterns, she didn't want to make her way back to the prison. First on the agenda would be loose the guards. They would probably scour the city for the whole of the night. A healer would be useful second. A small wound, left untreated, could turn deadly.
 
Coren jumped when the woman grabbed him and began to lead the way. He did not complain. His time in this town had been spent drunk and he didn't know which way was north or south, let alone which direction to run in town. The elf seemed to know where she was going and he thanked the gods that she had survived this long. She was sure proving useful. He hoped the cut on her side did not run too deeply. He was not going to be much help when it came to healing the wound.

Oh, I'm out of shape, he thought, panting as he kept up with her. He was taller than her and his legs were longer, but long strides was only going to get him so far when his stamina was hardly what it had used to be. He swallowed and wet his dry lips, glancing over his shoulder. The shouts of the guards were fading and he couldn't see them as they rounded another corner. They needed a place to hide. Running from the guards would only do them so good. He heard the wind whistling through the town, and it brought with it the sound of voices. Not the shouting of guards, but laughter and chatting.

"That way - start walking," he gasped, pulling on her hand to slow her. "I think there is a tavern near. Listen. Act normal and we will go in and hide." The guards would eventually search buildings, but for now, they could race around town for all he cared. If there was a tavern, then he and the woman could go inside and hide in the crowd a while. He didn't have a coin to his name but maybe she did. They could even get a room for a night. A beer or two, to celebrate escaping...

"There, see?" He sighed with relief, slowly catching his breath. They rounded a corner and there was a lantern outside a building with a sign with a red horse. A group of men were leaving the tavern, stumbling and laughing down the steps. "Got any money on you?" Coren asked, raising his brows and looking to the drow.
 
As they stopped, Mara could feel the blood rushing to her cheeks, making them hot against the cool night air. Her heart was still racing and she tried to steady her breathing. She combed her hands through her straight white hair and tried to brush the dirt from her face. She was quite talented at blending in. The biggest trick was acting like you were suppose to be there. Walk into a bar with your head down and distrusting eyes, it's a sure way to get noticed.

"Not a dime." She replied. "but two thieves in a bar with a bunch of drunks are never poor for long."

She ran her fingers through her snowy mane once again. Her bright golden eyes watched the group. Most of the men seemed to have a hard time staying on their feet. It would be easy to take a coin purse and not be remembered. They seemed well off; a night of drinking shouldn't take all of their coin. A bottle of mead followed by a warm bed started to sound good.

"I'll bump into Blondy, I would say take red coat's over in the back. He seems pretty gone." She nodded at them as her breathing returned to normal. "I doubt they'll remember us in the morning."
 
Coren couldn't help but laugh at her comment.

"You've clearly never been with me in a bar," he murmured. "I was the drunk trying to steal...How do you think I ended up in that cell?" He looked forward to their targets. The men were drunk, and while drunks were certainly more stupid than normal, some of them could surprise you. Coren also knew his skills were hardly up to scrap. He would make a better bandit than thief. Subtlety wasn't his thing...and he was punished thoroughly for it, it seemed.

"I...sure," he grumbled, eyeing the man in the coat she suggested he take. This could go very badly. "I have a feeling this might get me in jail again though," he warned. "I'm not exactly good at this. Just the spending the coin part."
 
"Well," Mara said, holding her chin. "I'd probably would get noticed, sneaking away a purse. There's probably more eyes inside."

She understood his hesitation. If she weren't the minority, she would be more at ease with an attempt. If they weren't fresh out of jail, she would be willing to take a few more risks. The adrenaline of the chase was waning away, her aches started to return. A good night's sleep would do her well and a healer even better.

"The barn would be better than a jail cell." She muttered.

Mara watched the group stagger away from the tavern. A few were incredibly intoxicated, barely standing on their own. A couple of the men seemed to have been wiser about their alcohol consumption. Perhaps it was better to keep their noses clean tonight.
 
"I am no stranger to barns," Coren agreed. He scowled over the woman's appearance. A drow and a man with a significant scar on his face? They were fairly recognizable characters. If guards started spreading word to look for a dark elf and a scraggly, scarred companion, it would be easy for passerbys to turn them in. Perhaps taking cover in an Inn with many people was a bad idea. Barn it was.

"You need to tend that uh...that cut," he added, heading around the Inn towards the barn. He wasn't sure how bad her injury was. For all he knew, she might keel over at any moment. His bright eyes surveyed the dark yard, looking for the stable boys who would be keeping watch. He spotted one; asleep, with a bottle in his hand. He was sitting outside the tall barn door, which, thankfully, was open a crack. Some sort of god was looking out for them tonight.

Coren held a finger to his mouth to signify silence as they got to the door. He watched the boy for a moment, and the young man snored loudly. Coren let out a slow breath and opened the door, wincing at the creak it made. The boy snored again, and Coren slipped into the barn. It smelled strongly of horses and hay. It was dark, but he could see there was a loft and plenty of hay to rest up in. As long as they woke well before dawn - which, for all he knew, was just a few hours away - they could get a little bit of needed rest.
 
Mara followed closely behind him and climbed the ladder to little loft. There was a fresh mound of hay which she happily collapsed on. The smell of horses didn't bother her, it was better than the jail cell they were in a few hours earlier. The thrill of the chase had left her tired and sore. Her ribs were badly bruised which made every breath tender. Tenderly she put a hand on the cut. A scab was attempting to form and the bleeding had slowed substantially.

Mara was pretty poor at magic. Coren's comment lead her to believe he was just as poor or no talent to offer. She certainly had enough skill to stop the bleeding, but time would have to do the rest. She closed her eyes, concentrating all of her energy into her hand. There was a dim glow for a few seconds. It was all she could hold it for.

"That'll have to do. More of an inconvenience than anything." She muttered. "I never caught your name."

She relaxed in the hay, watching his dark figure with heavy lids.
 
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