The land of the Gods (Complete)

Chapter 2 - Thaleara

Thaleara Sullivan had barely managed to conceal her scoff when the young man had attempted to steal from her. He had just reached his hand into her pocket, and nudged her, as if she wouldn't notice the coin purse being taken from her. The idiocy of some people. He really, honestly thought that he would get away with it. Even now as she looked back on the situation, she had to roll her eyes.

"Stupid," she muttered to herself, shaking her head in disbelief a little.

"I beg your pardon?" Declyn questioned from beside her, his long strides easily keeping pace with her short ones. Declyn had quickly figured out what she'd done to the poor excuse of a thief they'd encountered and had given her a small smirk once she returned from the stranger. His only comment had been to ask for a bit of the share.

"I said,'' Thaleara huffed, still annoyed from the encounter, "the audacity of some people." She didn't bother to continue with the sentence, only giving another shake of her head. Declyn understood what she meant well enough, and gave a small chuckle.

"No matter, you got it all back, didn't you?" he paused, eyes lighting up with glee and a cheeky smile falling onto his lips. "Plus a little more."

She nodded once.

They continued down the cobblestone path, moving quickly and quietly together, a shocking feat for Declyn considering his build. Tall and lanky, one would expect him to be unaccustomed to the size of his body and incredibly clumsy. Even the coppery red hair that sat on his head and brushed a bit past his ears gave the impression of a gangly school boy who doesn't quite know what to do with himself. Thaleara was also often surprised at his coordination. He was quick, and nimble, and most importantly, stealthy.

He gave her another lopsided grin as they reached the entrance to the tavern, moving a hand to hold the door open for her and nearly hitting his head on the sign that hung from the veranda. The sign above them read 'Tom's'. She returned her own smile before entering the dimly lit room. This was one of many taverns and dens that littered the lowest class of the City. As they entered, no faces turned to greet them. Everyone in the room was in their own little bubble, focused on what they were doing. Most of the crowd were workers, or farmers that had come into the City after the day's work.

The room reeked of body odour, and the bench towards the back of the room was full with no bar stools vacant. The rest of the small, crooked tables were filled up and the game tables had crowds of people around them. The noise was something else. You couldn't hear yourself think. Clearly, the entertainer that night had already been and gone, the "rich" crowd that had come to watch the show remained discussing it at their table.

Thaleara only heard a bit of their conversation as she walked by.

"Unbelievable!"
"Did you see the way he threw it? It practically cut through the air."

"How in the Gods did he get the card to spin like that?"

A rather plump lady, with a pink faced and elaborate hairdo was gripping onto the arm of a large man, presumably her husband, and said in a loud whisper to the person opposite her,

"I saw the card coming right at me, and I swear to the Gods, my life flashed before my eyes! It's a miracle the card twisted as opposed to slicing right through my forehead!"

Thaleara scoffed. Honestly, these "performers" were getting more and more ridiculous.

Thaleara continued past the crowds and shouting workers, pushing her way through and heading directly towards the counter. She had places to be, and it was a waste of time trying to get through the tavern politely. Declyn trailed behind her.

The man behind the counter was distracted with drying a mug when she reached him, and didn't notice her until she cleared her throat. Loudly. He jumped, wide brown eyes darting around the tavern before they rested on Thaleara. He flashed her smile once their gaze connected.