Far, Far Away

Oh The Shenanigan's of Children

 It was nights like this that she missed the stables and the tight-knit community the village on Jakku had offered. She was a long way from home now, stranded in a place she has little knowledge of and carrying little in ways of credits. Only ten years old, she had no way to get a job, and no knowledge on how a job would work if she were to miraculously get one.

Something tugs slightly on her bag and she turns, coming face to face with a boy, about her age and height. Her head tilts slightly to the side, curiosity filling her eyes. It flits away quickly.

"What did you take?" The boy seems to crumble under her harsh gaze and he slinks into the crowd, the girl is quick to follow. "Stop!!" People in the crowd glance at her for a moment then look away, bored and unwilling to help. She sighs and begins to chase after him, following him as he weaves through the crowd and the back alleyways. The girl digs through her bag as she runs, hands acting as a second pair of eyes while she follows his path intently. She finds what she's looking for and throws. The boy, hit by a wave of electricity from the marble-sized orb, tumbles to the ground and the girl sifts through his bag, reclaiming her lost belongings. "Next time, don't steal from me." The boy groans as he rolls over. The girl winces when she sees the cuts and scrapes on his face from hitting the pavement. "I'm sorry... I can help..." She clutches a dark cloth the taser was wrapped in, prepared to help him clean up his face. He swats her hands away when she gets close.

"Not here," he mutters, a shadow flitting across his eyes. She tucks her belongings back into her bag and feels the eyes of the passersby on her back. The boy takes her hand and leads her up a nearby ladder. Maybe I'm too gullible. He could be leading me to my death, for all I know, the girl thinks to herself, wariness creeping in like a prowling cat. He doesn't, in fact, lead her to her death. He leaps across a new alleyway below over to the next rooftop and waves her over. She gulps, taking a few steps back before sprinting and leaping across, managing to clear it rather easily which surprises her. The last of the sunlight disappears behind the buildings as the two sit on the flat rooftop, pebbles shifting beneath their weight. He watches as she cleans the cut off on his arms, wrapping the places where the stones cut deep and cleaning the others off with a small bottle of liquid. He winces as she pours the liquid over the next cut, mesmerized by how quickly it heals. She examines each cut closely, leaving the ones that won't get infected as easily or hurt as bad but cleaning most all of them just in case. "I'm Eryx," he says quietly.

"Briar," she says, finishing wrapping a bandage. For the first time since their meeting, Eryx grins.

Only three years later, the two are inseparable. They build up their economic empire, starting from carefully pickpocketing on the streets to full heists. People flock to them, desperate to hire them to steal back a family heirloom or precious gem. Soon after they begin taking all the jobs, other groups come to them for assignments, begging the duo for a share of the wealth. Eryx enjoys the silence of his office, the feeling of being a puppeteer with all his wooden toys on strings, eyes everywhere and ears everywhere else. Controlling the chaos from behind a holographic screen. The light blue hue illuminates his face for hours on end, a freaky smile creeping across his face from time to time. Blades slash, coins clatter, shelves topple, sending vases cascading down... down... down... before they shatter.

Briar, on the other hand, prefers the gigs. She would much rather perch on rooftops in her dark clothing and cloak to cover her hair, overlooking the next house she intends to pick from, their jewel room lightly guarded and blueprints easily accessible, if you know who to bribe. A smirk plays across her face as she perches on the ridge of the roof. She slides down the side, left leg straight to bear her weight when she hits the drain at the end and the right bent to keep her balance. The end of her gloves have spikes meant to slow her down and she digs the spikes into the rooftop.

She glances down, spotting a ship she hasn't seen at the house before. She'd been watching it for a few weeks, figuring out the schedule of the guards and hoping there would be a time of day when the household is gone. Nighttime, she had decided, would be best. As long as she was quiet. She did not account for unexpected visitors. Tempted to abandon her plan, she ducks behind a tower wall jutting over the edge of their rooftop. Tying a rope tightly around it, she ties the other end around her waist, knowing the dark brick tower will be able to hold her weight. She hops down, holding part of the rope tightly as she descends, her feet hitting the wall carefully before she jumps a little farther down. Reaching a window, she pauses. She jumps farther this time since the rope won't let her go any further.

Glass shatters as lightning strikes in the distance. She tucks her face in the cloak and rolls to the floor. Some shards cut through her cloak but her face is mostly unscathed. Her thick pants and shirt prevented the glass from hitting her arms and legs. She wipes her face with her hand, a small amount of blood on her hand when she pulls it away. Should be manageable. She makes her way to the first room. Empty. Then the next. Empty. Then the next. Something. She pockets a couple of valuables left out on the dresser and moves on. Empty. Which leaves the last room on the floor. Music plays softly inside and she peeks in. No one's there. She closes the door behind her and begins looking. Footsteps drew close to the door, though she didn't hear anyone coming upstairs. A voice replies to someone downstairs, and someone grabs the handle.

Briar panics. Her dagger hits the door frame next to where the boy stepped in. She brushes past him, grabbing the dagger and not giving him enough time to comprehend what just happened. He merely stands frozen in shock, watching as she runs back to the room where she entered. He starts to run after her, screaming to the people downstairs. She finds the rope after avoiding the glass on the floor and stands on the windowsill. She turns back to face the boy before she jumps, his dark hair almost covering his dark eyes. A girl, who looks similar, runs up beside him with a blaster in hand and aims at Briar. With a smirk, she leaps out the window and quickly scales the rope. Before the adults can make it up to the rooftop to look for her, Briar is long gone.

She finds herself on a ship, a small hologram device in hand as she inspects what she stole. Her head tilts in curiosity. Well this should be a fun adventure. A Jedi. Surely that'll help me get back to her. She doubts Eryx will notice her disappearance. He's not very attentive, in her opinion. She tugs her cloak over her shoulders, shivering slightly. She's been on a ship before, she doesn't know why she's so nervous. Maybe it's facing what lies ahead that gives her such anxiety. She doesn't feel she's very good at making friends and surely the two she stole this from will recognize her when she shows up.