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Post by GRAHAM ETHAN HOOK on Nov 4, 2012 20:32:22 GMT -8
Graham checked his pocket before looking back at the stand, the vendor’s last few fresh fruits sitting lonely in the baskets. Only a few coins rested in his hand when he pulled it out, it was not nearly enough to buy anything. “Are you open for negotiations? These fruits have been out all day, surely you will not fetch their full price at this time of day. I can offer you this for the apple.” He held out the coins and gave a sincere smile which quickly fell.
The vendor, rather loudly, announced that he wasn't interested and Graham should get lost. Harsh words hung on the tip of Graham’s tongue but he shut his mouth before he could get into further trouble. He could use a good fight but he decided he didn't stand a chance after he shot a glance toward the vendor’s bicep. Maybe if he was drunk but Graham’s sober mind was telling him to leave it be.
As Graham began to walk away, he watched as a man approached the stand. For a moment, he considered shouting a warning but then saw the man hand over money in exchange for the apple. Then he slipped some change back into his coat pocket. Graham tried to talk himself out of it but old habits die hard when he had an empty stomach.
Keeping an eye on the man, Graham crouched down and weighed a few pebbles in his hand. These would work. Weaving in and out of the crowd, he kept at least six feet between him and the stranger. Then picking up the pace, he walked up beside the man and with a quick fingers, he exchanged the pebbles for the coins. The next step was to put as much distance between him and the man. Graham ducked around people and had a brief sense of satisfaction as he watched the man disappear into the crowd.
Graham would never admit it but he repeated this about four times in the twenty minutes that followed. One woman had even had a small stack of bills, which nearly put Graham into shock when he pulled them out of her pocket. Tonight, he was not going to go hungry and any guilt was quickly replaced with relief. Now he needed to find the food which was going to prove difficult in a dirty place like this. He would love to return to the original vendor but if he suddenly showed up with money, it would be more than suspicious.
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Post by ARROW DYONARRA STROM on Nov 5, 2012 21:28:58 GMT -8
 THE BEES HAVE CONTROL OF YOUR MIND Another day, another trip to the market. Surprisingly, this time, it was not to steal. Arrow legitimately bought merchandise sometimes. After all, if she didn't give money back to people, how would she have anything to steal later? Oh, clever and beautiful was she! Like the killer whale or the sleek jaguar. Arrow was the predator and the people of the market place were her prey. And just like any feline, Arrow enjoyed toying with her prey from time to time.
Often Arrow came to the stands and stalls to search for some quality jewelry. She loved to adorn herself in the stuff. She wasn't gaudy with it or anything; she simply loved having options! Generally Arrow didn't like to steal jewelry, especially valuable sets, because it is fairly obvious when something like that is missing. However, many merchants tended to overprice their assortments because they must think someone in the Outlands is going to pay that much for them. If Arrow likes something overpriced, she'll just take it, so maybe merchants have learned from past experiences!
The guild master strutted about the streets of the market place, head held high as she glowered down at the cheap merchandise these people would sell. Honestly, did customers buy this?! Perhaps Arrow was the only one with an eye for quality around anymore. Of course, many individuals were not fortunate enough to be skilled thieves and just take whatever they desired. She was a lucky one. But was she really?
As Arrow padded about among others, her eyes happened to rest on a fairly suspicious man. She had overheard just tidbits of what a merchant had roared at him, and that was enough to cause her to stand out of the crowd and examine the man. He went out of sight a few times, but Arrow simply stood where she was, arms folded over her chest and a smug grin on her face. There seemed to be another aspiring thief on the streets!
Once he had finished committing several felonies, she briskly paced up behind him. With a heavy hand and clumsy fingers, she attempted to pickpocket him, but very pointedly got herself stuck in his pocket. She was, of course, just being obnoxiously bad to get his attention. She would have to be seriously intoxicated or concussed to be so awful at what she did for a living. As Arrow finally was able to withdraw her hand, she stood, seemingly paralyzed with fear. However, her affect swiftly cracked, and she began to titter lightly. Meeting her in such a way, this man probably thought she was deranged (and she kind of was). She was simply unorthodox with people. She didn't quite understand them.
"Spare some change, would ya?" Arrow questioned rather harshly for just having been recklessly digging about in the man's pocket. She hastily held out her hand and even wiggled her fingers as a gesture for him to hurry. "I'll just die if you don't." WORDS ### TAGGED GRAHAM NOTES sorry i didn't reply earlier! ;-; TEMPLATE BY WE WERE INFINITE ! OF CAUTIO 2.0 |
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Post by GRAHAM ETHAN HOOK on Nov 6, 2012 19:42:51 GMT -8
 Graham began to push his way through the crowds, not as stealthy this time. His hands stayed at his sides, his eyes were focused ahead and not on pockets. When he was a teenager, stealing had been exhilarating, something he did to entertain himself. Now he only stole what was necessary and he had enough money to sustain him for a few days and hopefully by that time, he could find a more legal source of income. Then again, it was only a hope. This city seemed to offer very little in terms of work. Maybe the people here just weren't interested in his stories.
After a while, he had relaxed. It seemed that no one had seen him take the money and he started to glance at every stall. There had to be something to eat. He was almost too focused on his task that he almost didn't feel the hand slip into his pocket.
‘What poor skill.’ He thought as he whirled around just in time to see the hand retreat empty. The owner was a woman with long blonde hair and a face that shouldn't belong to a thief. At first, fear seemed to dance in her eyes but it turned to amusement as she started to laugh. She asked if she could spare some change and Graham raised an eyebrow.
“You hardly look like you need it.” Graham pointed out, crossing his arms across his chest. “I know what hunger looks like and you, my dear, do not fit the profile.”
In his travels, he had met children with sad and thin faces, seen more ribs than he could count. Often he wished that he had money and food to give these people but he had barely any of his own in the first place. In the end, he wasn't the type of person to risk his own well-being for someone else. And he was not compelled in the slightest to help this woman. She looked well-fed and well-dressed, the last person to try and steal.
Then it dawned on Graham, she had not been trying to steal from him. “You aren't looking for change. What do you really want?” He asked suspiciously. Did he pickpocket her? No, he would've recognized her and ran the other direction. Did she see him stealing? If she was a citizen looking for vigilante justice, well, Graham had experienced plenty of those and she didn't look ready to give him a black eye. That was always a good sign.
words. 419
tag. arrow
notes. i'm too lazy to make a table.
i apologize. i will someday. (:
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Post by ARROW DYONARRA STROM on Nov 6, 2012 21:12:10 GMT -8
THE BEES HAVE CONTROL OF YOUR MIND This guy clearly had a shred of common sense! She wasn't just a pretty face to him that could get what she wanted with one plea. That was great. It meant he wasn't nearly as fickle as the rest of the male population. Perhaps he could be of some use! After all, he was a fairly nimble thief, but obviously not stealthy enough for the trained eye not to catch him.
She didn't need his money, no, but she would surely have loved to have it! However, she wasn't stupid enough to simply ask for it up front, nor was she going to steal it from him. There were many other ways to get money from someone. Many legal or illegal ways. As Arrow was already neck-deep in illegal money, she didn't need this man's.
"What do I really want?" Arrow repeated to herself, as if truly curious. Her eyes lolled about in her head, rotating every which way in thought. She took a long, dramatic pause before finally answering. Prodding his chest with a slender finger, she replied, "I want you!" She stopped again, her face and tone completely serious. It took her a moment to realize just what she had said. When it hit her, Arrow smirked, slightly chagrined. "What I meant to say is that I like your skills. I don't know if you've heard of me - surely you have - but I'm Arrow Strom. I run the thieves' guild. Now, I'm not out to recruit you as much as I'm here to offer you a deal." Arrow shrugged nonchalantly, then, as if she didn't much care for the proposition. A sigh escaped her lips. She was obviously downplaying the deal as much as possible. "If I give you a nice sum of money, you'll do what I ask, right?" she questioned, raising her brows at the inquiry.
Was she trusting a stranger? Quite possibly. Arrow didn't truly trust anyone, but money was enough to make anyone loyal to her. Besides, this guy looked like he needed it, and Arrow was oh, so charitable. She didn't blackmail or steal from anyone ever.
Arrow motioned with her index finger to wait a moment. She twisted around, turning her back to him, so that she could slip her fingers into her bra. Swiftly she brought out a few bills and unfurled them. She then turned back toward the man, waving the bills ostentatiously. "If you wanted to join my guild, though, I could give a bigger swath of money!" Her eyes moved from him toward the bills, examining them longingly. "These dollars are quite lonely, after all." WORDS ### TAGGED GRAHAM NOTES she's so bad c: TEMPLATE BY WE WERE INFINITE ! OF CAUTIO 2.0 |
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Post by GRAHAM ETHAN HOOK on Nov 7, 2012 18:12:16 GMT -8
Graham straightened up and lifted his chin as he realized that she was practically examining him. He wasn’t a particularly proud man, he could stoop low when times were tough, but he wasn’t about to be deemed worthless or weak by whoever-this-was. He even attempted to pull at the collar of his coat but the grime on it ruined the effect.
She repeated his question to herself and she seemed to drag out the silence without reason. He was getting impatiently. Then she finally answered and Graham took a step back, becoming more suspicious by the minute. He was not used to being approached in such a forward fashion; also she wasn’t quite his type.
Then the woman corrected her words, insisting on his skills. The exact skills he didn’t like using. “Honestly, I’m not a thief. I only steal when it is absolutely necessary.” He tried to protest but she continued anyway. That was when money was mentioned and she had his interest. “It would depend on what you were asking.”
He would love to say that he lived to write, to collect stories, and to share them. That he lived an honest life but that would be a fantasy. If he could, Graham would be charitable, he could pursue his passion, collect the stories that mattered and maybe even share them with the populace.
He had read about printing presses and people that truly wrote for a living but in this world, those jobs no longer existed. In result, he was turned to a life in constant flux, some days he had money and other days he had to steal it from pockets. And when a woman stood in front of him, waving a few bills at him, she had his attention.
Then she made the offer to join the thieves’ guild, the last thing Graham wanted to hear when attached to money. This was recruitment from the guild leader, it probably meant something but Graham feared to find out what it was.
And he was tempted for a moment but then he shook his head. “As I said, I am not a thief. I would prefer not to turn sticky fingers into a profession.” Somehow he continued to talk as she waved the money. “I would not object to providing other services,” his words got slower as he considered them carefully. “as long as those services are within reason.”
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Post by ARROW DYONARRA STROM on Nov 8, 2012 20:42:17 GMT -8
THE BEES HAVE CONTROL OF YOUR MIND All it took was a bit of bribery, and he was hooked like a starving fish. Frankly, all it took for anyone in the Outlands was probably less money than what she was even offering. Hell, she could probably get a street goer to take a bullet for her if she gave him or her even the smallest scrap of food. Of course, Arrow wasn't that heartless. She wouldn't force anyone to do anything like that. To be honest, Arrow hated violence. Loathed it, really. She sometimes carried a knife or firearm for her own safety when conducting business, but if forced to use it, she would most likely rather flee. Arrow was absolutely terrified of blood. Very rarely does Arrow ever cry, but she would break down and weep at the sight of blood. So, more or less, Arrow had to rely on wit and bribery to get what she wanted. That, or her own set of special skills.
A frown creased Arrow's affect as the man answered her. He wasn't a thief? But he was! She had watched him steal and steal again. That, alone, made him a thief. He couldn't just turn it on and off! However, Arrow was inclined to humor him. She raised her brows and nodded, as if completely understanding of his situation. She did understand, actually. She knew what it was like to be a lowly common thief, stealing only what was necessary. But it became almost an addiction for Arrow to stymie objects, shiny, gold, or otherwise, from others. The adrenaline she received from stealing was worth obsessing over. As she became more and more confident in her skill, though, the adrenaline dwindled, and she merely stole because she was adept at it. Not to say that she doesn't still enjoy it, but she doesn't enjoy because of the adrenaline anymore. It's fun simply to make money! And money is fun.
Arrow couldn't help but grin at the man when he offered other services, as some rather impure thoughts came to her mind. She was dirty, in more than one sense of the word. "Do you think I'm going to pay you to have sex with me or something?" she inquired, noting his hesitance on making a deal with her. She waved a hand in dismissal, meanwhile smirking. "I have people who will do it for free!" Arrow tittered lightly then; afterwards, her visage became serious yet she still produced a cynical smirk. She raised her chin and looked down upon him, almost as if she were too good for his offer. However, she raised a brow and continued: "But what other services did you have in mind? I'm all for making friends!" WORDS ### TAGGED GRAHAM NOTES sex slave c: TEMPLATE BY WE WERE INFINITE ! OF CAUTIO 2.0 |
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Post by GRAHAM ETHAN HOOK on Nov 8, 2012 21:07:42 GMT -8
Graham couldn’t shake the feeling that Arrow was judging him and the result wasn’t one he wanted. Something about her made his hair stand on end and felt like he should play dead or something, anything for her to lose interest. Bears were not interested in the dead, maybe that was the solution to this predicament he had gotten himself into. Not only was the money keeping Graham on his feet but the possible connections he could make with and through Arrow. In the Outlands, the key to survival was connections. Even if you didn’t like making friends, having resources got you one step ahead of the rest.
Sure, Graham had people he trusted and worked with but they were as lowly as he was. While a thief wasn’t exactly the strongest alliance, she was a guild leader with some money and power. He didn’t want to be associated with her in bad times but in good times, she would be more than useful to him.
Then she made the sex comment and Graham rolled his eyes. “Don’t flatter yourself sweetheart, you’re not my type.” He laughed. Though his eyebrows nearly flew into his hairline when she asked for ‘other services’ and Graham found, with that money still out in the open, he had a few suggestions.
“I know people and places, I’m a storyteller and I know how to get the information I want. While you may steal from pockets, I can steal from the head. You only need to understand when and where to listen. When that fails, I’m not a bad fighter.” He smirked. Graham didn’t exactly like the idea of being a ‘thought thief’ but he could possibly impress Arrow yet. Also, she didn’t seem too graceful with people since all she had done was wave a little money and giggle at him. While he may be easily persuaded by some money, others are not, especially when they have information that benefits them more than a couple of bills.
Before the woman could speak again, he held up a finger. “Though, before we go making any deals, I’m Graham Hook. I am not a thief and while I may be hired, I will not join your ranks.” He was rolling the dice here. Then again if he didn’t set boundaries, she would walk all over him. “If you expected anything else, you are free to walk away.” He didn’t like the idea of Arrow leaving but he would rather have her back off than be pushed around by her.
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Post by ARROW DYONARRA STROM on Nov 11, 2012 14:02:19 GMT -8
THE BEES HAVE CONTROL OF YOUR MIND Arrow was fairly sure that she was making this man uncomfortable, for whatever reason. Was it the money? Or her beauty? Maybe a combination of both? She was one of those rare flowers that were both dangerous and beautiful. So she could understand his hesitation. He had never met a person of her caliber.
At his comment, Arrow couldn't help but grin fiendishly and raise her brows. "Ah, so ugly nuns are your type!" she exclaimed, throwing her head back slightly to mimic his laugh. Honestly, since when did Outlanders have a 'type'? Arrow was all anyone needed. She was gorgeous, intelligent, humorous, and quite the sex hound. How was she not his type! Hm, it seemed she found herself asking this question many times with another male in particular. However, she knew the other male; whereas, the one before her was a stranger. He didn't even know her!
Arrow examined him curiously as he spoke, mostly wondering how she could use his skills to her advantage. She felt that she was quite decent at retrieving information, what with her feminine wiles and whatnot. How would a man do any better than her?
She opened her mouth to speak, but found herself interrupted by the man. This time, he was quite demanding! Arrow was entertained by his words. They were humorous, coming from someone in his position. Arrow nodded, as if considering his opposition; however, that was the farthest thing from her mind. Arrow didn't take orders and didn't particularly like compromising.
Sighing, Arrow rested her head to one side with a blank, glazed stare on her face. Then her eyes rolled as she reached into her bra again to pull out another sum of cash. Teasingly she unfurled the wad and ran the money under her thumb. As she looked back up at Graham, she replied with a cynical tone, "Sure is a lot of money to waste on groundless demands, I think. I'm no diplomat, Graham. I don't compromise. People do what I want because I can make or break people down here. One night you may be resting soundly in bed, clutching your jewels. The next night I'll steal them from right under your nose!" Arrow furrowed her brows, her visage growing uncharacteristically stern. "So, you can have money and dignity or dignity and independence. It's up to you." WORDS ### TAGGED GRAHAM NOTES she mad >:c TEMPLATE BY WE WERE INFINITE ! OF CAUTIO 2.0 |
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Post by GRAHAM ETHAN HOOK on Nov 11, 2012 14:52:08 GMT -8
The longer this conversation continued Graham began to find Arrow’s arrogance obnoxious instead of endearing. At first it had seemed like her confidence which wasn’t a terrible trait to have in the Outlands. She had money and power, that allowed some ego but as she threw back her head, mimicking his laugh, he lost his patience.
Going against all better judgment, he took a few steps toward Arrow until he was less than a foot away. He had spent enough time around people to know that this was quickly invading private space. Not even Graham liked having people this close but he didn’t have a problem making Arrow uncomfortable. “You may be beautiful and powerful but that doesn’t mean I am attracted to you. I prefer a little substance.”
Honestly, Graham had no idea what he was talking about. It had been a long time since he was truly intimate with someone but he had had better things to do with his time. Mostly survive. Food, drink, and sleep came before sex. Graham couldn’t even remember the gender of the last person, much less a name or location. Lately, his life had been becoming a blur. His notebooks kept better track of his history than his own mind.
At first, it seemed like Arrow was considering his words but then she drew more money from her bra, flipping through them with her thumb. Her tone was less than considering. As Graham wanted compromise, which seemed reasonable to him, it looked as if that wasn’t going to happen. Either he submitted in full to Arrow or the money would disappear and Graham wasn’t sure which one he didn’t want to happen more. Graham hated being powerless but he also hated being hungry.
By the time she had finished speaking, Graham had made his decision.
“Well, then I should be glad that I don’t have jewels for you to steal.” He narrowed his eyes, all humor left his voice. “It is obvious you haven’t lived a day in poverty, compromise is survival when you have nothing. No one may come out of the deal completely happy but at least both sides come out better off.” Maybe this belief was the reason that Graham lived day to day without money or any prospect of a future but at least he wasn’t some thief’s petty slave. “And I will repeat myself, if you expect me to obey you without question you are free to walk away.”
At least, that was what Graham wished would come out of his mouth. The jewels comment had made it past the filter but the speech never left his head. His stomach knotted into a twist and his back ached from sleeping against walls in alleyways. With money and comfort, his mind could process better and eventually he could achieve his compromise.
“I would prefer if you were open to compromise but it seems like I have little choice. I have a moral code, as long as your jobs don’t cross that, I will do whatever you want.” Graham wished he could take his words back immediately but the money kept him from doing so.
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Post by ARROW DYONARRA STROM on Nov 11, 2012 15:32:02 GMT -8
THE BEES HAVE CONTROL OF YOUR MIND Arrow was a cruel mistress. Of course, if she wasn't, she would be stepped all over. Being female always advocated some sort of chauvinistic behavior from others. But that wasn't the only reason she had to be assertive. She was assertive because she had lived being passive, stealing only when she had to. That was the wrong way to go about things. Only when she was more aggressive with her stealing did she get what she wanted. This man seemed to think that she had built her empire on the backs of others. No. She had established her wealth by herself using her own set of skills. She had every right to be cocky and hard-headed!
It was fairly obvious to Arrow after his remark that he knew nothing of her. No one did, really. She wasn't the shallow person she pretended to be. But for survival's sake, she'd retain that superficial facade. "Substance? I'm sorry I can't afford to have bigger breasts," Arrow returned hastily. She grinned at both the irony of her statement and at her twisting of his words. Obviously she knew what he meant but playing it off usually spared her feelings and others'.
Arrow just wasn't fond of the assumptions this Graham fellow was making. From his previous words and his disposition, she could tell that he thought naught of her. He also seemed to think that she didn't work for what she wanted. Arrow didn't care to disclose her past to him, nor did she want his sympathy because of it. However, she almost wanted to spew it to him just because she wanted him to know that she had endured as many, if not more, hardships than he had.
As Graham finally gave into her impenetrable offer, Arrow grinned broadly, quite proud of standing her ground. "Of course, Graham. I may be a thief, but I have just as many morals as the next Outlander," she assured him, nodding. "I won't compromise because I don't have to. Simple as that. I've compromised my way to the top! Now it's my way or the highway. Which I wouldn't recommend. It's very dangerous." Arrow again smirked, though impishly this time, rather than smugly. She loved when things went her way instead of the highway. WORDS ### TAGGED GRAHAM NOTES her way or the highway c: TEMPLATE BY WE WERE INFINITE ! OF CAUTIO 2.0 |
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