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Date Posted: 16:02:17 11/12/01 Mon
Author: Laurel
Subject: Double standards?
In reply to: Tristan 's message, "Thoughtful as usual" on 15:55:32 11/12/01 Mon

Laurel kept a smile on her face, although inside she was beginning to feel rather uncomfortable listening to Ravin’s explanation. She was aware that Ravin was what one would term a professional thief, and so had a degree more of worthiness behind his occupation than the common street cutpurse. Such professionals were, in fact, often commissioned by the well-to-do to either recover certain items from the household (or person) of one’s enemy or to even plant incriminating evidence against them. She was not even naïve enough to assume her own parents had not hired on the professional thief or two, when certain sensitive matters had to be carried out.

And yet, she was not happy with the issue, however necessary it might be. She had inquired into Ravin’s profession out of taste and politeness, and it wouldn’t have been so unsettling to hear the normally seemingly kindhearted man expound upon what he did---if he didn’t express such an obvious distaste for the aristocratic lifestyle. She checked herself, however, before she got too upset, for not only did Ravin not know of her economic background, but he also probably shared the same opinion of her own kind that most common people had.

And, unlike most nobles and aristocrats, she did not think less of those who were in turn less fortunate than herself. Maybe in her youth she had had something of an air of contempt abut her regarding the poor and middle-class merchants, but by now, especially since she had spent much of the past five years in the company of these same people, she considered them social and moral equals, if not always intellectual equals---which was, in turn, a fault of financial upbringing, and not natural mental state.

But still…despite all that, she was put off by Ravin’s explanation. She hid her displeasure, unwilling to look the highbrowed fool, especially in front of Erlic, who knew her background as a nobleman’s daughter. Some individuals, she even reflected wryly, who may have considered themselves high-class, were nonetheless even lower on the scale of elfinkind and humanity than mere beasts. These, in essence, were wealthy good-for-nothings to whom she would gladly point out to the most practiced thief.

Once Ravin left with her brother, she was of course beseeched by politeness’ sake to listen to Erlic, who apparently decided that his friend had left out a thing or two (or twenty) about the fine and distinguished art of thievery. Now, Laurel herself was beginning to grow weary of this talk concerning theft, particularly when it was revealed to her how apparently easy it was for her new friends to steal from her! Now Erlic again sought to insult her intelligence, so to speak by assuming she did not have a clear understanding of the difference between the different classes of thieves. However, she would have allowed him to enjoy his brief feeling of superiority, if he had not turned the topic to how he should go about stealing from her.

This was both galling and shocking, to put it loosely. Laurel respected Erlic immensely, perhaps even cared for him more than she was willing to admit, but she did not, and never would, appreciate being told how she might best be conned out of her personal possessions. Possessions and social placement in the world were very important to her people, and the idea that someone, especially a friend like Erlic, had the potential and the means to take from her what was rightfully hers upset her to no end. In essence, she was simply quite hurt by him.

Once he finished and proceeded to pour her a glass of wine, she tried her best again to contain her irritation. But lately, it was becoming harder and harder to conceal from him when she was distressed. She thought this quite strange, as she felt him to be the one person in the group who reminded her most of the society she had grown up in, and had consequently learned to mask her inner thoughts and feelings from.

“I take it you do consider yourself to be one of these elite professionals,” she commented, taking a sip of the wine and staring at the glass as she did so. She raised her eyes briefly to his before looking away with another frown. “So tell me, Erlic. If I had something which you personally valued, would you then proceed to simply take it from me?”

Deciding suddenly the question was far too forward for her tastes, she shook her head slightly. “No, perhaps not. Perhaps you consider yourself a good sort of a man, a man who does not steal from those he considers to be his friends. But then, if you did not know me, how would things differ then? If I had something, say, that a personal enemy of mine dearly wanted, and he came to you or your friend Ravin, what would you say to him? Suppose he offered you compensation you simply could not refuse. Would you feel compelled to take it?”

“And if you say you should first like to judge my character,” she continued, growing slightly more heated, “before taking from me that which is by all rights lawfully mine, then am I to believe that an individual’s ability to retain possession of those things her enemies covet is based solely on the judgmental abilities of what you call an elite thief?”

She started to take another sip of wine, but paused before the glass had even reached her lips. “Surely you can see how unsettling this is,” she added. At this point, she attempted to regain control of her temper, and was moderately successful. “You speak as though you have no taste for civilized law and order, Erlic. The day that professionals such as yourself are allowed to practice freely their craft is the day that chaos rules us all.”

That said, she finally brought the wineglass to her lips and drank, hastily setting it down before she could swallow too much. Of course, her stomach was no longer empty, but she had little desire to become tipsy tonight, as was her usual tendency with too much wine. At this point, Marz and Tristan entered the room, diverting her attention from Erlic momentarily. While her friend’s student questioned his teacher about their lessons, she watched in silent amusement as the dragon slowly and methodically removed the meat from several sandwiches, piling the pieces on his plate and setting the remaining bits of bread and condiments aside before beginning to eat.

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