how to live for free

He always had mixed feelings about this land. Everything here was on such a grand scale that it made everything in his past feel insignificant, even the legends of his childhood. How was he supposed to feel, knowing that everything he aspired to in his younger years was nothing but child’s play? He never actually grew to be a big fish – it’s just that the ponds were small. Here is the ocean. Here, there be dragons.

But there was no denying that it made for easy living, if one could set aside delusions of unfulfilled grandeur. Nowhere else could he find so many witless, anonymous fools to take advantage of, and that’s precisely what was on the agenda today. Nicharion had a stash, hidden not too far from the marketplace. Solely for the sake of convenience, it wouldn’t matter if someone ever finds it and takes it all – it was all worthless, assorted junk. Charms of bone and teeth, weeds to be chewed into ‘herbal pastes’ and ‘potions’, ‘fae wings’ from innocent butterflies, brutally murdered for sweet profit. Though by now they were starting to look a little dry and shriveled.. better push them out now, there won’t be a fresh supply of butterflies until spring. Then there was a big, old and dusty piece of fabric to drag it all around in. Quite disgusting, it’s probably been moldy at least a few times during its long existence.. but he had bought it cheap, and it was sufficient for its purpose.

The hardest part was finding the right spot at the market. It couldn’t be too obscure, but it was better to avoid the parts frequently patrolled by soldiers. It’s not like they could really prove he was doing anything wrong, but they could cut the business short. Besides, there was no need to take any risks for such a simple, low-effort gig. A young wolf was following him discreetly, just as they have agreed beforehand, eventually blending into the crowd when Nicharion finally picked a place to lay down his wares.

He didn’t do this very often, it was better not to be remembered too well, but he had plenty of experience by now. He cleared his throat and, with a toothy smile, got to work. “Ladies and gentlemen, gather round! Miraculous potions from far-away lands, nowhere else to be found! Down on luck? Just one fae wing will turn it around! Fangs of great warriors will give you courage.. or perhaps toe bones of legendary thieves, if you need to plunder someone’s storage?” A peddler’s cadence came to him easily now, and the last sentence was spoken in a loud, theatrical whisper. A bit of an accent sprinkled on top, just to make the whole deal seem more exotic. It was all about getting their attention, really. Most kept passing by, but a small group was starting to gather, uncertain. Naturally, nothing he says will truly convince them.. but something else will. “You, sir! Care to try? No need to be shy! How about you, boy? Come now, first sample’s half-off for everyone!” Now.. time for Nathair to play his part.


*

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Nathair avoided Castle Stuart for many reasons. It was the place where most soldiers hung out on their off days; but still with prying eyes. For them, there was never truly a day off. He wasn't truly big enough to take two or three of them on. No matter how strong he was, there was a matter of quantity over quality in those sort of situations. The only way he entered the Castle's grounds was if he was with someone else, particularly with Nicharion. Someone experienced in the nature of slinking by the soldier, whether it was with his silver tongue or evasion tactics, Nathair felt better about being in the marketplace. They'd been doing this for a little while. Not long enough for anyone to notice them. There were a few travelers that passed through where the stash was, and if Nicharion or Nathair was around, they could usually make some money off tourists. It'd been awhile since they'd been this close to the Castle itself. Nicharion and he had talked about the plan before they'd walked into the eye of the public; the teenager dragging his paws a bit when it came to following him. He had to stay behind, it couldn't look planned. So, instead of going to where he needed to be first, his vibrant green eyes stare upon the stone edges of the twirling towers. The ice viper sneered for a moment as he stared up at those who were allowed on it's balconies; the nobles of the land. It must have been nice, just having been born into royalty and not having to be apart of the working class below. He met eyes with one of the younger women, she hurried on to grab her counterpart's side, who looked at the teen, and at once, mentioned something to the passing guards. Before the guard can even make his way to the steps, Nathair had disappeared back into the crowd, forgetting about anything that had to do with the nobles or royals within it.

Nicharion's voice echoed through the dirtier street-paths. Where the rock started to crumble a little and moss interweaved it's way through the patches of stone. Nathair's head lifted to it, seeing him start to speak with such vigor, that it could draw any passerbyer's head. This time, when he went to walk, there was a limp to his step. 'Miraculous potions from far-away lands, nowhere else to be found! ' As if rehearsed a million times, Nathair snorted from afar; looking to one of the groups of wolves looking at the vendor atop his potions and other various products, "Potions? What get a load of bullshit." The teen spoke, almost as loud as Nicharion; on-lookers glanced at him and chuckled in agreement. 'Down on luck? Just one fae wing will turn it all around!' A roll of his eyes and another snort sets his own little plan into place. He hobbled a little closer, as if to test fate with the merchant. "Bones and teeth? You've got to be kidding." The viper tsk's with his blackened lips, sucking through white pearly daggers of teeth. He made sure that his accent was familiar to them all, Gaelic. As if to speak more of their language; 'Listen to me, not this Outlander.' He shook his head with another cackle, making sure to stand on only three legs, the front right one was tucked underneath him to his belly. A man passed the crowd in front of Carion, and his enthusiastic voice invited the man up to the front to try one of the random items that had been presented, and Nathair puffed up a little bit; soon it would be his time to shine. With a moment's passing, Nicharion's mischievous eyes fell onto him, 'How about you, boy?' "You think you can trick me?" He asked, with a quirk of his eyebrow and a snicker, staggering up to the many items that twinkled underneath the day's clear sky.

"Lemme try this." He nosed towards a bottle full of something green and shimmering. Naturally, some old pond water with specs of butterflies' wings crushed within it - and, a few bits of moss to keep the color. Nathair slapped a deer's pelt, scrubbed clean and tanned, to the ground and grabbed the potion in between his teeth and looked to the crowd, crinkling his eyebrows to them as if to seem, still skeptical about all this. "If it doesn't do anything, I expect my pelt back." He muttered, and without much more work put into it, drank the green liquid.

A few moments passed by and Nathair shrugged, "What the hell, old man..." Before he can finish his threatening sentence, he realized that he could "move" his leg from the tucked position it used to be in. "W-What?!" Dramatically, Nathair showed the flex to his paw and gasped. "I was born like this! My mom she said... The professors said..." He gingerly put pressure on it, on the ground, and wobbled again, but didn't fall and looked to Nicharion; "How did you do that?! What's in there?" He walked closer to the man, close enough that no one would be able to hear him if he whispered, "I expect that back when we're done." He mentions, glancing to the pelt - but giving an exaggerated gasp, "Take my pelt! Just please, let me keep walking!" He tosses a few more gasps and gimmicks to the crowd and, stands beside the man, looking to the crowd and showing them how he could, now, walk on all fours.

"Speak and be heard."

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@Nicharion

Really, he’d have to applaud the boy’s acting skills – if he didn’t know that being a pretentious shit came to the kid as naturally as breathing. Fortunately, every trait can be a good trait, it just takes the right plan to make good use of it. He offered a cocky smile, eyeing the offered pelt as if it was already his own. “By all means, customer satisfaction guaranteed.” he assured, knowing well that confidence in his modest merchandise will soon be very contagious. Then, as Nathair drank the ‘potion’, he watched unperturbedly.

But as soon as the boy started to claim his leg to be wondrously healed, the red brute felt a pang of concern. That was.. a little more grandiose than what he had pictured when sharing the plan. Should have been a little clearer on the details, apparently.. His eyes scanned the gathered wolves quickly, watching them exchange enthused murmurs between themselves. They were hooked, and.. fortunately no one with a condition as serious as Nathair’s imagined one. No soldiers, either. A wolf can be easily convinced that placebo cured his bellyache. A lame leg, not so much. “There you have it, good folk! Come get yours now!” he boomed to the crowd, grinning from ear to ear. That’s all the push they needed to rush forward to make their purchase. “Please, please, make a line! And you make way for other customers, boy” As nice as it would be to have an assistant for this part, this was all work for him. Truly, he couldn’t understand how actual merchants do this every day. “Thank you, kind sir! Absolutely not, take these weeds away!” And so on, and so on…

The group’s excitement ensured it grew as swiftly as it shrunk, at least for a while. Eventually, though, the first-hand witnesses have dispersed. Third generation of the story had it that Nathair’s missing leg grew back in seconds. Of course, that was ridiculous enough that by the fifth wave, his customers hardly knew what it was all about anymore. That was the end of it, so he quickly wrapped up all the acquired herbs, pelts and food in his fabric and started to drag it back to the hideout.

Nathair, naturally, was already there, waiting for his share. “I swear, you’ll be the death of me, kid.” he complained, grunting as he pushed the package inside. “Healed leg? Seriously?” He shook his head, before flopping unceremoniously onto his side. Gods, was he tired.. this never is as light of a job as he convinces himself it might be – but at least they had a somewhat popular peddler’s daily haul in fraction of the time. “Still, nicely done, regardless.” Nothing ended up going wrong, so he couldn’t be too mad. “Fetch us something to eat from the bundle, eh? Then a third’s for you, as usual.”



*

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The recovery was swift, even Nathair had to admit. But even the best salesperson knows that the key to any good rush of customers was a solid story. The moment in between the red man and the good group of wolves that had gathered was almost completely silent. As if they were waging whether to believe him ~ or maybe it was the sheer awe of the fact that his leg had been “healed” because of the herbs that they were peddling. Within a second, Nicharion had the group falling head over heels to step up and buy whatever would make their aliments better. As they rushed to the cart, Nicharion disappeared into the crowd of gullible clientele. The teenager gave a short, quick glance to the adult that’d taken him into his scam. The Thieves’ Guild brought in many folks that wanted the same thing, or something close to it. Freedom, power, and lust. The latter two being the most common. What Nathair was on the search for? All of the above. He meshed with the group of scoundrels, villains, and children of whores who had no other option to be raised amid criminals. This was just how some of them turned out.

Nathair walked through the avenues now on all four instead of three. Ducking into an alley, he moved through the back roads. It’d be safer than getting caught by a guard to ask why he was slinking through the streets with no purpose. The cold stone pressed on either side of his shoulders, shuffling down the narrow pathways. After a few moments of traveling, the teen appeared at the end of an old tunnel where the path had dispersed into worn dirt and gravel. The ruffian shook himself out, red fur glittering underneath the bright sun. Though the heat barely broke through the cold weather. The hideout wasn’t far out. Scattered behind a few tight pines. He could have stayed out on Castle Stuart’s busy marketplace, maybe even spread a few rumors to others of how his condition had been cured by nothing more than a common business man passing through, or run a couple of scams on his own. But both had their faults, starting and ending with the Imperial Army. The boy had been cautious enough to get caught by them yet, but he had a feeling it was only a matter of time before they had a run in or two. The trees in the distance grew close together and had a few deer skins hung in the lower branches. His lips somewhat twitched in a smirk. Nath knew the place well. He could find it with his eyes shut. He remembered tracing steps back and forth, making it easy to find. Y’know, in case Carion ever tried to cheat him with half the goods. He could cause some damage and steal what was left.The red man slipped into the comforting place that would soon be full of their hard work. As soon as he settled, his eyes shut, leaning back against the sturdy pines.

Sleep never found him. Underneath his closed eyes, all he could focus on was how the leaves scrambled, blowing left and right in the cold. It made him open his eyes open every so often. Nicharion took his sweet time returning to their meeting place. ‘I swear you’ll be the death of me kid.’ Vibrant green eyes return to the world of the living, glinting as his lips pull into a sharp smirk. ‘Healed leg? Seriously?’ The boy shrugged his shoulders, grunting somewhat as he pulled himself onto his elbow, looking over Carion who looked tired from the mass of idiots. "It did the job, didn’t it?" He asks through half-lidded eyes, as if he could now fall asleep. Before he could get any more tired, he started to stretch his legs forward and jut his shoulders forward, straightening his back. "Mmmf." A small yawn before he completely pulled himself to all fours once more. Nicharion gave out an order to grab something for them to eat and he moved towards the bundle, sniffing at each of the things they’ve been paid with. He was also scoping out what items he’d been taking back with him. Thinking with growl of his hungry stomach, he pulled out what seemed like a young elk’s thigh. The salvia in his mouth collected as he pulled it to the two men. He takes the first bite, not even bothering to close his mouth as he relishes in the fact that he hadn’t had this fresh of a meal in awhile. "Can’t believe half of those wolves are that dumb." He grunted, falling back to his lazy position, eyes falling over the darkened man. "Did you get offered any nooky in place of some life-saving herb?" His lips seem to stay in the shape of a smirk, even as he’s eating. There’s a small growl in the back of his throat, maybe someday he’ll get to take what he wants from the credulous masses. One day he’ll be enough to run his own scam. For now, this is easier.

"Speak and be heard."

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@Nicharion

He watched the boy rummage through their loot with some amusement, quite aware that Nathair was already deciding what to take as his share. Nicharion didn’t mind, in the end quantity matters more than having the first pick in this situation, diamonds in the rough are rare when you take from the common people. Even if the boy found something valuable, well.. good for him. It wasn’t the dark brute’s goal to exploit those he worked with. Could he have set more favorable terms for himself? Probably. But it wouldn’t benefit him much in the grand scheme of things, and he’d rather have Nathair be able to make ends meet and, just maybe, grow to be a reliable ally with the experience he gains on the job.

Maybe there was a touch of sentiment to it too. In a way, the boy reminded Nicharion of himself when he was younger. Well.. a less fortunate version of himself, perhaps. All things considered, he’s had it pretty good with his family as a kid. However, that is not to say he lowered his guard any. He kept only a portion of his valuables here; the rest would be later distributed among his other caches, ones that only he knew about. It was pain to hoard so much instead of spending it right away.. but he needed to have decent savings for certain future plans.

Finally, food was prepared. The red-eyed male pulled himself to a half-lying position, before biting into the venison eagerly. As much work as this might have been, it definitely beats having to be the one to take down an elk. Nicharion had no luck for hunting big game, he found himself on the sharp end of antlers far too often. “It never ceases to amaze me, really.” This line of work probably was ample fuel for their egos. Gods know they were bad enough even without being reminded how foolish other wolves can be at every opportunity.

He raised a brow at the question that followed. How oddly specific. Well, it wouldn’t be a first for Nathair to have a skewed image as to what life outside the guild might be like, as anyone who grew up among criminals would have.. but is that all there is to it? “Ain’t how things work in this part of town.” Nicharion snorted, pausing to have another bite. “The more enterprising decent folk only have you look, flaunting themselves just so” He stretched himself out on the ground, a well-practiced motion perfected to draw attention to the contours of his flexed muscles.. and all the while, he watched carefully how Nathair might react. “Thinking that will get them a discount. The audacity, right?” He had to grin at that. The truth is, many of the ‘law-abiding citizens’ would gladly rob each other blind.. given the opportunity to do so without breaking too many rules, so that they might convince themselves it’s legitimate. Greed isn’t unique to thieves, after all.

“Not that I care, I can get more than enough without relying on deals.. or idiots.” Truly, he’d have to be desperate to sleep with someone stupid enough to fall for that scam, even if they happened to be attractive. He might practically be a whore at times, but that doesn’t mean he doesn’t have standards. “But it seems you can’t, if you’re so curious?” His eyes narrowed and his smirk grew sharper. The boy really knew how to himself up for mockery sometimes, it just couldn’t be helped. Ah well, it’s not like he’d have any respect from this kid if he didn’t exploit such openings. How old is Nathair, anyway? He wasn’t the boy’s family so care for such details.. but surely old enough to fool around with someone his own age at least, if he had to guess. “What, you tried to lure some merchant’s kid into a back alley and got rejected?” He carried on with the joke, waiting to see how much he could ruffle those feathers.




*

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there was some rustling in the distance. squirrels and such. other creatures that were moving around in the quiet space. it was just them and nature. the home-base located within the depths of the trees; where you had to be looking for it. in the teenager's half sitting and half laying position; he stared over at nicharion, listening to the words that fell from his lips and eagerly awaiting them. it was nice to be treated like an adult. he was close enough and he could take care of himself. he proved that each day he worked with nicharion. he'd even outrun the imperial army soldiers a couple of times. his tail flicked from side to side behind him as he settled into the leaves and the little warmth that was created in late fall. he leaned down, chewing his food as his partner laughed at the gullible citizens of rionnach. some of them just wanted to badly to believe there was a simple solution; a quick fix. a miracle from the fae or something like that. but there was no such thing. anyone raised near the black beach of sussex had known that nearly since birth.

a laugh left the teen's lips when nicharion redeemed his stupid question with an answer. not that nath wanted to know... or did he? there was something about nicharion that made nath's stomach twist. not in a bad way. maybe it was because out of all the wolves in the guild - carion went with him. and treated him like an adult. mostly. there were some days where they both disagreed; like any duo. the teen's bright green eyes lingered on the other as he stretched out, muscles being shown under the sun's filtered light coming through the dying leaves. "ha.. yeah a discount." he tries to find some sense in his brain to respond with after getting a little lost staring over. he snorted and leaned down to his food, keeping his gaze on what they had brought back today.

without much grace or manners; nath dug into the venison in front of him. before he teamed up with nicharion, there was very little good quality meat that nath got. it wasn't from lack of trying. nathair knew how to hunt. but, it some days were too busy with his own schemes and lurking around the tavern - waiting for something to happen along the stretches of day. he nodded to carion's words as he chewed and swallowed; mouth open and eyes squinting with each bite. there was joy in the up curve at the corners of his lips. a good meal always put him in a good mood. especially right after a swindle that had gone well. the next set of words made the teen stop chewing and stare directly at carion with a scowl on his face. "shut up." he growled through a half-full mouth. there was a half embarrassed look on his face. if there wasn't fur on his cheeks, nicarion would be able to see the reddening of his skin. he swallowed his food, hackles fluffing up on the back of his neck. he wasn't really mad, but it annoyed him. that carion was somewhat right. it wasn't for lack of trying that nathair hadn't come up with an intimate moment in awhile. he was just bad at letting his guard down; even for a second. "you're just grumpy that you didn't get laid. and that i got laid within the last week." he bluntly lied and shifted up, puffing his chest out as he proudly took another bite of a finely earned meal.

"Speak and be heard."

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@Nicharion

A self-satisfied smirk stretched his lips at the oh so very absent-minded response coming from the younger wolf. It’s never bad to have a confirmation that he’s still got what it takes to distract someone who’s used to thinking on their feet. He isn’t getting any younger, after all.. but perhaps seasoned is just what Nathair likes? Nicharion snorted into his food, electing to keep that thought to himself for the time. It’s never prudent to play all your cards all at once.

Still, as good as it was to have a good haul and relatively fresh meat.. some part of the red brute was disappointed. This approach might be efficient enough, and low risk for the most part.. but it was so boring and small. He always arrogantly craved greater things, something where the payout wouldn’t even matter – just the thrill of it. He wasn’t made for the mundane. His eyes flicked to the black and red boy, contentedly stuffing his mouth with food. Has Nathair ever thought this too, or was he too busy just making it to the end of the week to afford the luxury of disaffection? Things seem so much simpler when you’re young.

“Last week?” he mused, licking blood and fat off of his lips. “I see..” his voice assumed a reluctant and solemn tone, as if he were a doctor about to give a dying patient the bad news. “You have my condolences.” He held the act a while longer before he finally chuckled. Truly, why would he ever dispute the claim if he could mock it regardless? Then, in a swift and and sudden motion, he leaned closer until his muzzle was just a few inches away from Nathair’s, grinning deviously. “But that’s perfect, you must have all the images vivid in your mind by now. We can do some.. team-building information sharing. So, what’s your type?”

Before the boy could refuse or talk his way out of it, Nicharion leaned closer still, lowering his voice to whisper huskily into Nathair’s ear. “I like them big, and.. hmm, dark, but unusually colored…” He spoke nothing but truth, but it was so carefully selected – things that applied to the young wolf before him as well. Now then, Nicharion couldn’t wait to see if Nathair will still remember how to speak under this kind of pressure. After all, when is it not some kind of game to him?

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