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Date Posted: 13:32:19 11/09/01 Fri
Author: Ravin Rue
Subject: The life of a thief
In reply to: Rowan Silvertree 's message, "Returning for dinner" on 23:06:32 11/08/01 Thu

Ravin regretted his sarcasm when it was revealed that the attacking zombies had nothing to do with the Queen's possible loss of control over her undead minions. He stared wide-eyed as the dead body of a zombie turned into that of a human when Kazabet waved her hand over it. Why hadn't he felt any trace of empathy for their attackers? When Tia informed him that the Jangali Royani the Queen spoke of were serpentine beings he understood. As far as he knew, his empathy worked best only on humans, which was why he had a hard time killing anyone. Sharing the pain and fear of someone on the verge of death wasn't something he would wish on anyone, and he often wondered why he had to be cursed with being able to experience such feelings with others.

Everyone returned to their meals when the Queen left with Rowan in tow. The silence in the room was finally broken by the arrival of Sarra, Kandarin, and Neramii. Ravin gave the tomb raider a smile before turning his attention to Laurel who choose that moment to answer his question about druids. She paused when Erlic arrived, interrupting her with a whisper in her ear before talking a seat.

Ravin was glad to see that the older thief was well and looking rather invigorated considering what they had all been through. He made a mental note to inquire about his pocket mirror later on then turned his attention back to Laurel when she began speaking again. Since half a sandwich was enough to curb his normally meager appetite, he left the remainder of the food on his plate, focusing on the whiskey bottle instead. He took a long drink then nodded at Rowan and a rather disheveled looking Jeremy when they seated themselves at the table.

After listening to what Laurel said, Ravin had to agree that he had a lot of misconceptions about druids. He was under the impression that they lived like hermits in a particular forest they chose to become a guardian over, caring only about the flora and fauna within the surrounding area. It was a pleasant surprise to learn that druids were just like any other group of people, with perhaps only an extra touch of intense love for nature.

He took another drink from his bottle then frowned when Laurel apologized for talking too much. Since he really enjoyed listening to others, he saw no need for such a silly apology. Much could be learned, even from a person of few words, if one took the time to really listen to those words since they often held hidden meanings. He was positive that that was the case with Erlic, who Laurel now seemed to be teasing due to his normal silence. Ravin had to admit that Erlic tended to shroud his real feelings in a verbose attempt to disorientate his listener. But, he had become wise to the older thief's method of speaking and could decipher his real meaning with relative ease most of the time now.

Ravin met Laurel's eyes and smiled warmly when she questioned him about his craft. Apparently, she really wanted to know what it was like to be a thief, and judging by the suddenly interested look on Rowan's face, he too was anxious to hear what he had to say. Maybe they, like many people, envisioned the life of a rogue as glorious and packed with adventure, intrigue, and romance. If that was the case he was, sadly, about to eliminate such misconceptions.

"Basically, my line of work is quite dirty and very lonely," he began after another swig of liquor. "Crawling through narrow underground tunnels always leaves my clothing filthy and my hair littered with bugs, while climbing up the side of a tall building can be quite taxing on my arm muscles. Scouring out the city under the moonlight could be romantic if I had someone special to do it with but since I don't, such spying is nothing but a means to and end in my business."

Ravin wiped his mouth in a sleeve after taking another taste from his bottle. "Contrary to popular belief thieves don't care much for a full moon because it provides too much light, and we prefer sneaking around in near total darkness. I've trained myself to become one with the shadows so to speak. Enveloping myself within one is the perfect way to avoid being detected by someone who I might happen to be following at the moment. Of course I normally only follow those foolish enough to walk down the street displaying a bulging purse. Such people can afford to spread their wealth around, although they might not enjoy doing so and need someone like me to help them accomplish that task."

A grin spread across his mouth as he finger combed his unruly, long hair away from his eyes. "Going to banquets at the homes of royals posing as some high-brow snit is always a lot of fun though. Such parties provide a great meal, interesting gossip about who has the most wealth and power at the moment, and the chance to dance with voluptuous beauties wearing their most exquisite jewelry. Of course many of those beauties are hoping your eyes are on the amble bosoms they are displaying beneath the low cut gowns they are garbed in, so I always think it’s a nice touch to make a comment on how delicious they look before you relieve them of their gems."

Ravin lifted the bottle to his lips, disappointed to find it nearly empty already and he wasn't even shit-faced drunk yet! He turned his brown, somewhat bloodshot, eyes to Laurel again. "I hope I was able to enlighten you about what it's like to be a notorious thief, my lady."

When he got to his feet he swayed momentarily then faced Rowan. "Did I hear you say there was a liquor cabinet in the kitchen? I seem to be in dire need of a fresh bottle of whiskey."

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