From her vantage point on the four story flat roof of a boarding house, Smoke had an excellent view of the activities taking place on the street below. Smoke wasn't her real name of course; it happened to be one of many that people (especially those from the thieves' guild) christened her with. Like smoke, she became insubstantial before any member of Lazareth's guild, or a city guard, could lay a hand on her. Of course that had more to do with her magic abilities than her thieving skills but no one needed to know that. Smoke, whose real name was Jillian Dunwold, held the honor of being the greatest freelance thief Annib had ever known, and that title had earned her quite a few enemies.
Since a girl could never be too careful, she kept her true identity a secret, sneaking out from her home in disguise whenever the need arose to procure something she took an interest in. During her expensive lunch with nobleman Greggorus she heard of the theft and murder at Talem's jewelry shop last night. She didn't think much about it until later in the day when she overheard a thug at The Rusty Nail say that Lazareth intended to skin Riley alive unless he retrieved the brooch from where he'd stashed it, and placed it in his hand by midnight.
Jillian stared at Riley now. He paced up and down the streets, making a big show of window-shopping. Apparently he was waiting for the shops to close because once they did, most of the guard patrols would leave the area. That could mean that the ruby brooch was nearby. Jillian smiled. As soon as that incompetent thief had it in his hands, she'd swoop down upon him like a hungry vulture and claim it for her own.
When she saw Riley's shoulders tense up, she pulled out her spyglass and followed his eyes to a blonde youth poking around the fountain. Her own eyes flew wide at the sight of the ruby brooch he retrieved from the water. Naturally, the kid bolted when a guard called out for his immediate arrest. She followed his movements in her scope, pausing to magically transport herself from one rooftop to the next. Hopefully the youth would find a place to park himself before she ran out of spell-casting energy!
While moving along she once again thanked the gods for such tall buildings. No one bothered to strain their necks by looking up unless something attracted their attention. She was also grateful for the setting sun because she felt more at home in darkness. When a guard got too close to the youth, she launched a minor cantrip at him that made hives break out over his entire body. She stifled a laugh once the guard became too involved with intense scratching to continue his pursuit. Magically hopping from place to place was beginning to tire Jillian. She breathed a sigh of relief when she spotted the youth entering Swine's Tavern through the back door.
Once certain no beggars lurked in the alley, she climbed down the rear of the building, her dark gray attire blending in perfectly with the aged stonework. Upon reaching the ground, Jillian smeared dirt on her face and made sure all her hair was tucked into the hat she wore. Her slim figure and short stature often made people think her a young boy of about 15; the men's clothing that hung on her tiny frame aided that illusion as well.
Jillian was known as Huck at Swine's Tavern, and all the regulars greeted her by that name when she walked in the door. She slid onto the stool next to the youth who now hid his pretty blonde hair under a tattered cap. The bartender set a glass of goat's milk in front of her and greeted her with a smile.
"Think you'll be 'round later to help me clean out the stables, Huck?"
Jillian swiped the towel hanging at the bartender's waist then blew her nose loudly before lowing her normal speaking voice an octave. "Ain't got no time tonight, Garth. 'Supposed to fix up some porch steps for old lady, Clara." Jillian had never met anyone named Clara in her life but that didn't matter.
"Maybe tomorrow night then," Garth said before moving on to another customer.
Jillian wet her lips with a little milk then turned toward the youth sitting next to her. "On my way here, I was stopped by a guard lookin' for a boy 'bout your age with blonde hair, and carryin' a sword just like the one you's wearin'!"
When the youth turned to leave, she placed a hand on his arm. "Hey, I ain't plannin' to turn ya over to them creeps so relax. I do got a deal for ya though iffen you're interested. I got me a small hidey-hole not far from here, and you be welcome to stay there til the heat cools down. Course I'm hopin' you'd be able to pay me a little rent money cause a kid like me gots to survive somehow, ya know? If ya's broke, maybe ya can let me sell one of them daggers you gots strapped to your thigh. So, whatta ya say? Wanna follow me home?" This would have been so much easier if I knew a suggestion spell. I'll have to look into stealing one from somebody as soon as possible.
Jillian intended to take the youth by surprise and knock him out shortly after leaving the tavern. She'd be nice and hide his unconscious body in an abandoned building nearby though so the city guards wouldn't find him too quickly.
