Red Roses

Chapter 3 (Introduction Arc)

"What?!" Ardit seemed to be somewhat furious, yelling at a ganyma owner of a pawn shop. He verbally lashed out, "I went through a lot to get these documents, and all you offer is 100 Bristles?" He seemed to be folding his arms impatiently. The owner of the pawn shop looked down at him, dropping a 100-Bristle coin onto the counter. Leaning forward, the owner explained, "Look, you're a human, the fact I let you in here is a miracle, take your money and get out of here!" Angry, he took his money, put it into his hip bag and made his way out of the store.

As he continued on his path walking through the area, something caught his attention. It was something fragrant, the smell was something that he knew all too well from identifying it. His mind went empty, getting an overwhelming rush from that smell, rich people cologne. Ardit, following the fragrance, noticed a snappily dressed ganyma gentleman having a conversation with someone beside him. His skin looked rough and his eyes were a gold color with a black slim vertical slit. His slim fork tongue licked against the fangs he had alongside his expected set of teeth. From his distance the conversation was a bit difficult to understand but from the sound of it, the ganyma was heading home.

Ardit followed from a distance, thinking aloud, "Well, he wouldn't mind if I made myself at home and took a few souvenirs?" As the person he was talking to eventually parted, Ardit closed the gap when following the person home. He began to think though, "Out of all forms of transportation, why is this guy walking home? Was his home near where he went outside?" He wouldn't have to think for long, as the person reached his home and entered the house.

Ardit looked at the building in front of him. Besides the nice design and the structural integrity, he couldn't tell the difference between this home and a regular working class ganyma's home. Regardless, he made his way to the front porch while the coast was clear.

He did consider the risk as he thought to himself for a moment, "Am I really going to break into this person's house while they're still inside in broad daylight and risk imprisonment just for money?" He took a deep breath in consideration, "Of course I am!"

Moving around to the back of the house, Ardit looked for an empty room to climb in from. He eventually found a guest bedroom that was empty and easy to enter from. Using a technique to unhinge the window lock from the outside by knocking into it at a specific angle, he opened the window and climbed inside. He heard no speaking, but he did hear footsteps from the second floor. Quietly moving to different sections of the house, he took all the money he could find lying around. From different rooms like the kitchen and living room, he had eventually accumulated 1250 Bristles that now sit safely in his hip bag. However he still felt like there should be more. Noticing this person had an office room, he waited patiently for the footsteps to stop as he did when moving to other areas, then moved into the office.

His suspicions of money were correct, finding out the office had his coin pouch! Opening it and adding another 2500 Bristles to the hip bag, he realized if he stayed and pushed his luck things wouldn't end so well for him. Taking a deep breath, he slinked his way back to the room he entered from so he could exit and escape the area. As he entered the guest room however, he heard something and stopped in his tracks.

"Well, it seems like the mouse followed the scent of cheese, didn't he?" A voice could be heard from behind Ardit's head. Turning around, Ardit saw the Ganyma whom he followed home. He tried to make up an excuse on the spot, "Oh! I guess I walked in the wrong home, I'm sorry for the trouble, I'll be on my-" Ardit went silent, noticing the glowing red and yellow pattern on the man's pointy fingernails as well as the jester hat symbol on his left hand. He yelped, "Wait! You're a-" The man interrupted him, "Guards! Seize him!" Disabling his own magic, the two guards that were following him became visible, grabbing onto his arms.

Ardit was in a state of shock, struggling, he yelled, "You used my desires against me! How could you!?" Putting his hand on Ardit's cheek to try and give him fake consolation, the man sighed, "Of course I manipulated you, you're somewhat of a known thief in this city, people have been trying to catch you for a while now, and how long will it be till you come after me? We can't catch you while you're holed up in your little mouse hole, and I can't just sit there and wait for you, paranoid.. so I simply lead you to me!" The fiend backed up. Ardit tried to make a bargain, "Hold on! What about the money I stole? You know the police will confiscate it and keep it for themselves! Get me out of here and I'll give it back!"

The rich man furrowed his eyebrows. He responded, "Why would I do that when the reward for turning you in will be more than whatever petty money you stole? Take him, his musk is ruining my fragrance." The guards, clutching his arms tightly, dragged him out the front door of the house.

"Where are you taking me?!" Ardit yells as he's being taken away, his hands tied to his back in rope. One of the guards decked the back of his head, speaking up, "Silence human! You'll be kept in a holding cell until we can transfer you to proper prison grounds. It'll probably take a couple of weeks." Ardit thought to himself for a while, he considered the new people he met at the park and that he would meet them in a week. "I have a week.." he thought to himself. He started brainstorming plans in his head, following the guards to the police department.

Walking with her friend, holding onto her hand, Zolio starts thinking. Looking at her friend, she stopped and asked, "Can we sit down for a bit?" Her friend looked around, noticing cafe tables outside a small building as they walked and nodded. The two walked over and sat down. Zolio rests her arms on the table, "Thanks, I was kinda thinking about that guy from yesterday, Ardit was it? I was asking around yesterday after he left and found out he's some homeless thief that's been living off of stolen goods and money." She turned to look at her friend, who's eyebrows were raised with widened eyes. The expression on her face was clear. Zolio spoke up a bit, "I know right? It's so weird! He's a thief, a criminal!... So why did he save us? Do you think we should trust him?" The friend looked at the table, thought for a bit, and nodded. Zolio thought for a moment herself as well. She suggested, "We probably should for now, maybe he's not a bad guy? We still gotta meet him in a week, don't we? We'll consult him about it when the time comes!" She looked at the cafe they were outside of. "For now why don't I get us something to drink, alright?"