A Jewel Among Thieves

Chapter 12: Light

From what had happened so far, Safia decided to steer things towards light conversation. Rezo got closer to her then and that would give her the chance she needed. She refused to entertain the fact that she simply enjoyed speaking to Rezo, that she found bantering with him fun. That way lay madness and imprisonment.

She cast around her mind for a topic. A comment Rezo had made earlier sparked an idea, and she turned back to him. "Hey, what would do if you could do anything? I mean, if you had unlimited funds and no responsibilities. What would you do?"

"What would I do? Hmmm..." Rezo leaned back against the table, half-sitting on it as he drummed his fingers against the wood. The pose showed off entirely too many of his well-toned muscles for Safia's peace of mind. She both wanted and didn't want him to put his vest back on.

"I suppose I'd travel first. I've always wanted to see the Lake of Jade high in the northern mountains, or go south and see Saritz, the ancient city carved into the stone of the cliffs hidden in the middle of the desert. They're not easy places to get to but I've heard they're unbelievably beautiful. Of course there are the sandstone pillars to the west and the mountain of fire to the east that are supposed to equally spectacular. I think I'd want to try to see as much of the world as I could with my own eyes. How about you?"

Safia met his eyes for a moment before looking down, fiddling with the edge of his shirt. It was hard to remember who they both were when he smiled at her like that. Why couldn't he have been an awful person? She forcibly stilled her hands and looked up at him. "I think I'd travel for a bit as well, in the finest steam-machines, in their highest class of course."

His smile widened. "Of course."

She allowed half a smile to pull at her lips as she continued. "There's The Drake down by the southern seas that I've heard is the most beautiful and most exclusive resort in the world. They serve the best food created by the top culinary experts in the world, bring in first-class entertainment, and wait on you hand and foot. No matter your request, they'll fill it. If I had the money, I'd spend a week or two there. Maybe visit all the best resorts around the world. Or set myself up with some kind of hobby. Not embroidery or singing or whatever rich ladies normally do, but something useful. Maybe making toys or alchemy or something. Then I could give away anything I made to people who really needed it."

Rezo shook his head. "You've surprised me again. Here I was thinking you'd just want to spoil yourself for the rest of your life."

Safia crossed her arms over her chest. "I'd want to indulge myself, but I wouldn't want to be the kind of rich ass who does nothing with their wealth other than sit on it. I'd like to think I wouldn't forget myself, forget where I came from. It would be nice to help out those who I can. It'd be nice to be able to give children that come from the streets options, chances to be something different. I grew up knowing plenty of smart nippers who could have done amazing things if they'd had the options."

"Of which you were one."

It wasn't a question, but still Safia shrugged. "Not really. I might not have had as many options as I'd have liked, but I found my own path. Not everyone was that lucky. Some couldn't see a way out, others couldn't get out without abandoning people they cared about."

Rezo nodded slowly, his smile fading. "That I can understand."

While she was curious about what had prompted that, Safia had already learned her lesson about prying into his past. And she was trying to keep things light though she wasn't doing a particularly good job of it at the moment. "It would be fun to be so rich that the toffs couldn't ignore me either. I think it'd be funny to go to one of their parties and act like myself, just to see what they'd do. Probably faint, the lot of them."

That drew a chuckle out of him. "I think that would be a case of the Cat among the pigeons." She rolled her eyes at the pun, which only made him grin wider as he continued. "I think you'd scandalize most of them, but would probably find yourself with your own court of admirers. I think some of the younger folk especially might feel restricted by the rules of polite society."

Her eyebrows rose. "And how do you know that? I wasn't aware you were invited to those kinds of parties."

"You'd be surprised where I've gone for my work. But really, most of that comes from the stories Kasen's told me. He's picked up more than his fair share of young toffs for things, and not just for being drunk, though most have been. And a few of the boys were deep enough into their cups to blurt out their whole lives to him. Some of his stories about what they've said and done are pretty funny."

"Okay, well now you have to share. What's the funniest one you remember?"

"Hmmm..." Rezo drummed his fingers against the table for a minute before sitting up straight and grinning at her. "One of my favourites is the time he was doing his circuit and came across two young men who'd apparently decided they were dirty and needed to get clean. Their chosen spot for this was in the fountain in Hersal's Square. They were also concerned about their clothing getting wet, and so had left it several feet from the base of the fountain. Kasen had the pleasure of trying to arrest both of them naked. One even tried to run, but ended up slipping in the fountain."

Safia laughed. She knew the exact fountain he was talking about, and could picture the scene perfectly. She'd seen children play in the fountain, but never adults. "Did he at least let them put their clothes on before he brought them in?"

He nodded. "Kasen's far nicer than I am about that kind of thing. They spent the whole walk back trying to drunkenly argue with him. This included such arguments as one of them was too pretty to be arrested, that the other was drunk but not 'pig-tupping drunk', and that they'd have gone home to bathe but that their house had moved while they were out."

About to ask him for further details, Safia was interrupted by an odd rumbling noise and froze, staring at Rezo.