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Date Posted: 11:45:55 11/11/01 Sun
Author: Erlic Eastlore
Subject: An endless enigma
In reply to: Ravin Rue 's message, "The life of a thief" on 13:32:19 11/09/01 Fri

Erlic listened to Laurel’s explanation about the life of a druid, and how she had spent that life with her family. For some reason, Erlic didn’t think Laurel the type of person suited for the outdoors, but then again, he really didn’t know too much about the beautiful druid. Perhaps it was being comfortable within a dwelling that she had grown up that possibly masked her love of nature. He had learned something new about Laurel, and learning something new about the druid was always inviting.

He was, however, slightly confused about her adventures in the forests, and how she was capable of directing falcons. Why hadn’t she bought a falcon, trained it from birth, and use it as a form of defense for herself? Wouldn’t Laurel have more advantages in such a scenario? The thought bothered him a bit.

“And you must tell me twice as much as you might plan to, so that you may make up for our dear Erlic’s usual silence, you know.”

Erlic contained his smile as he sipped some more of the wine after finishing off his sandwich. It seemed that Laurel still believed him to be the totally silent type that never spoke. Perhaps if she asked the correct question, one that he was capable of answering, such silence wouldn’t transpire. But nonetheless, he remained quiet until Ravin finished his story, relating of how being a thief was not as glorious as one originally thought.

“The thief is an enigma,” Erlic spoke up once Ravin, and Laurel had finished speaking. Laurel turned to him and raised her brows. Erlic ignored her stare, and continued to speak. “One must rationalize that there are thieves, and then there are…..thieves.”

He had known many common thieves, and many professional thieves during his sojourns in various cities. He himself had joined many guilds simply to learn more about the trade, as well as learn whom was best to trust, and distrust, even though there was the common parable of there is no honor among thieves.

“The usual thieves that you encounter on the streets of any city are your common cutpurses,” Erlic continued with his explanation. “Their basic endeavor, on a day to day basis, is to relieve people of their money, just to provide food, clothing, shelter, and any other luxury they might be able to afford. Now, there exist those of the elite profession, such as Ravin. Grant it, one must learn to pick pockets to sustain themselves, but then one must progress in the trade. Climbing is extremely important, as Ravin stated. But then there are the other traits people forget about, working out both upper, and lower body muscles for one. A professional thief must have the expertise, and capability of running from pursuers when the need arises, therefore strong leg muscles are important.”

Ravin had covered the basics, but had left a great deal out of his explanation, at least as far as Erlic was concerned. “Let’s ask the simple question,” Erlic continued. “What do you view a thief as? Most people will tell you it’s someone who steals your money and runs away. That’s the majority of the populace. Most of your common thieves will fight with daggers, and a few will fight with swords, but the majority of them do not fight all that well to begin with, just enough to survive, and escape.”

Erlic paused momentarily while taking another sip of the wine. He thought for a short moment before deciding how to continue without revealing too much of his personal nature. “A professional, will not only learn how to handle daggers, but will also learn how to fight with swords as well, and when I mean handle daggers, I mean fighting with them, throwing them, and using them in as many possibilities as possible. Few ever achieve that ability. Now let’s take matters a step further. A thief will steal money and run. A good thief will interact with people, and make friends with them, learn everything there is to know about them, inconspicuously of course, and then take what is necessary with no need to run. It could be done while standing directly in front of the individual being robbed. The thief himself might be the one to holler out a warning that the man, or the lady had been robbed, thus diverting attention to himself, and, becoming an even better friend to that acquaintance he/she had just met.”

Erlic smiled a bit as he related this information to Laurel. Ravin was a professional in every aspect of the word, and Erlic the assassin was sure that his friend continued to hone his abilities every chance he had. “Have you any idea how difficult it is for one to imitate another person?” Erlic asked Laurel. “Take yourself for example; I would have to study your actions for a good two weeks, as well as your mannerisms. I would try to get as close to you as possible so that I may study your facial characteristics, your speaking manners, and your bodily distinctiveness, just so that I could emulate you. You see, the professional thieves practice the art of disguise, imitation, and ventriloquism simply to achieve their means.” He smiled as he explained his next statement. “There are thieves who are more proficient at applying make-up than some of the most honorable, and learned nobles in existence. We study as much as possible, learning colors, and how they apply to one’s own flesh in order to copy someone else, even if it be a woman.”

Erlic wondered what Laurel would think of such a profession, especially now that he had gone into great detail to explain how difficult it actually was. The misconception of thievery came from those of everyday life who simply stole a few coins, and were happy with their action, providing they didn’t get caught.

“Ravin mentioned upper body strength to climb. He did, however, fail to mention the art of tightrope walking. Although not commonly used, it is a great defense when the need for escape is required, especially if one is on a tall building, and cannot jump to the other rooftop. Balance is extremely essential as well as the other traits I mentioned. Picking a lock is quite simple, however, picking a lock that has been trapped is a bit more difficult, especially when those traps are magical. The professional thieves must learn everything there is to learn about locks, how to dismantle them, sneak in, and put them back together as if nothing had ever happened, leaving nary a trace of their existence. This, and everything I’ve mentioned, is only part of the elite’s professionalism that is needed to survive. Tact, strategy, knowledge, everything that can be learned in a school must be learned by the elite thief in order to manipulate, and endure the more difficult tasks that might be encountered.”

Erlic decided that was enough. If he ventured forth any further, he would be crossing a fine line that could possibly reveal exactly what he was. Yes he was a thief, but then again he was much more, and that was now important to conceal.

Erlic turned away from Laurel with a smile, and poured himself, and the lovely Laurel, some more wine.

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