A Jewel Among Thieves

Chapter 6: Hero

Rezo cleared his throat, drawing Safia's gaze back to him. "You said you grew up poor, that's why you became a thief. What about the rest of your family? Do they know what you do?"

"My father died when I was younger, and my mother died before I'd learned more than some basic Snake skills. The money I got from that was easy enough to pass off as me doing odd jobs, and we needed the shine. She never knew where it came from and I never told her. I don't have any other family." Safia was careful to keep emotion out of her voice. Let him draw his own conclusions, that may or may not be right. Keeping him guessing was best, and she didn't want to open herself up to someone who was preparing to hand her over to the guards and eventual imprisonment.

He grimaced. "Growing up in Perdim can be tough, especially if you're in the slums."

Safia snorted. "What do you know about that? You obviously come from a decent family if your brother's a guard."

Rezo held her gaze for long enough to make her shuffle her feet under the intensity. "He's my adoptive brother. I was taken in by his father after my own was arrested. I grew up in much the same area you did, I imagine."

Several things clicked together for Safia at those words. "Ah! Your birth father was a thief, wasn't he?"

"Again, you're entirely too clever a Cat for my own comfort," he said, though this time without the obvious distrust. It looked more like resignation with the way his lips were pulled down, and his eyes closed, like he was trying to keep something away.

Safia didn't much care, not now that she had some answers. It certainly explained how he knew thieves' cant. "Who's your birth father? Maybe it's someone I know." Already she was mentally going through the thieves she knew of that would be of the right age who'd been arrested years ago.

"No. I don't consider that man my father, and there's no reason you need to know. You'd have been a child then anyways, so it's not as if you'd have known him."

"I suppose you're right," she said, bringing her arms up behind her head in a calculated gesture. She hoped the movement of her breasts drew his attention, even for a moment. She wasn't about to let him forget about her nakedness. "The only thief I remember from my childhood is Wystan."

Rezo flinched before freezing, his gaze locked onto her. Safia blinked as her eyes widened. "No. No, you can't be serious! You're Wystan's son? He's a legend! I saw him once, when I was young, he's what really inspired me to become a thief! He's my hero!"

His reply was a glare. "What would make you think of an old bastard like that a hero?"

"Because of what he could do. It was after my father had been arrested by that crooked piece of shit, and my mother was trying to hold us together. I remember everything from that night. I was outside, walking around because it was too hot to sleep in the attic we lived in. There was an almost full moon so I could see things clearly. Four guards running around while Wystan moved from roof to roof, evading them all easily. He led them on a chase through the whole ward and none of them ever got close. He made them all look like idiots. I decided I wanted to be like that too. Untouchable."

Lines spread out from Rezo's mouth as his lips were pulled sharply down. "Oh, that asshole had skills, even I can't deny that. But he was the worst kind of scum you can find in Perdim. You should forget about him. Find someone better to look up to."

Safia frowned, wondering exactly what he meant by that, but not sure if pushing Rezo would piss him off or not. She decided the middle ground was safest. "What do you mean scum? I never heard any rumours about him being into the kinds of things that...well that shouldn't exist. He's a legend among thieves, so I imagine if he'd had any truly nasty habits, everyone would know."

Rezo's eyes went flat as the expression seemed to drain from his face. He stared at her, and when he spoke, even his voice sounded dead. "No, they wouldn't. He was good at hiding things. No one knew. Suffice to say, there's a good reason I helped get him arrested."

She couldn't help the little choking noise that escaped her lips. "Y-you sold him out to the guards, didn't you?"

"That way he couldn't come back."

Safia shivered slightly at the tone, or rather lack of it, coming from him. It didn't help that her current thoughts were leading her down a very dark path. If Rezo was willing to get his own father arrested, then what hope did she have of convincing him not to hand her over to the guards? The guard who was also his adoptive brother, and someone he seemed to care about. She swallowed hard and pushed those thoughts away. Being negative wasn't going to help her. She still had time, the light that showed through the narrow slit of a window in her cell was the full black of night.

But this topic, while something she wanted to ask more about, wasn't going to get her out and was only putting Rezo in a bad mood. It was time to switch tactics. "That does explain why you know so much about thieves, and why you're also so familiar with the other side of the law as well. You have a foot in both worlds. No wonder you've seen through my tricks and called me out before I could even try half of them."

Rezo's face slowly relaxed as he looked at her, taking a few moments before it was back to what she considered normal. Only then did he focus on her again. "Oh, I know the usual tricks. But don't sell yourself short, I'm sure you have more tricks up your- well, I suppose you really don't have sleeves, now do you?"

She held up both hands in a show of her lack of having anything at all. "You could fix that. Just give me back my belt. And please, tell me you haven't lost it. It's was hideously expensive."

A lazy smile spread across his face. "I imagine it was. And it doesn't matter how many times you ask, you know I'm not giving it back. From what I can tell, it's filled with all sorts of things that would make me unhappy and allow you to slip away."

Safia sighed dramatically. "I suppose you would be lonely without me. I can't leave and make you cry like that, at least not now."

That startled a laugh out of Rezo. His eyes crinkled up in amusement, he shook his head. "You are quite the dangerous Cat. If I was anyone else, I'd probably have already let you out. But don't worry, we'll keep each other company until Kasen arrives. Then no one's lonely."

She made a face and felt the sarcasm well up so it filled her mouth. "Thanks."