“Oi, you there!” The shop owner bellowed. “The runt with the ugly hat. Stop right there!!”
Faust visibly flinched upon hearing the booming voice. Clutching the stolen items inside his jacket pocket, he sheepishly looked over his shoulder at the large man looming over him. The scowl on his face and the club he held in his hand made it plainly obvious to Faust that he had been caught yet again.
Letting out a deep sigh, he turned to study his captor, still trying to hide the loot he had almost gotten away with. Faust had to admit, he probably didn’t look like much to the mountain of a man in front of him. Despite being in his late teens, his growth had been stunted, most likely due to the hard life he had lived on the streets, leaving him barely over five feet tall. With his scrawny frame, he couldn’t even intimidate a baby if his life depended on it, and in the town he lived in, having a frail appearance meant you probably didn’t live too long. However, what he lacked in physical strength, he made up for with his mind. Faust considered himself to be a careful planner, always having something to fall back on in case one of his schemes backfired, and in this case it had paid off.
“I’m really sorry, sir. Please forgive me.” Faust did his best to appear guilt-ridden and apologetic. With his left hand he pulled out the pilfered gold pouch and extended his arm out, as if to give it back. With his right hand, he rummaged around for the bag of curry powder he had picked up earlier. Watching the surprised look on the man’s face, Faust fought to hold back a grin, fearing any sign of deceit would cause him to raise his guard again. With a quick lob, he hit the shop owner squarely in the face and dashed off, leaving him coughing on the cloud of powder. As he wove his way through the crowded market, he could hear the man howling profanities at the top of his voice, but he was relieved to see no pursuit was made.
Faust eventually found his way back to a familiar side street, where he felt he could rest without worry. The tall run-down buildings offered both shade and solitude. Slowing his pace to a leisurely walk, he took off his hat and brushed aside the pitch black hair that had fallen over his face. “There has got to be an easier way to earn some coin than this.” Faust said with an exasperated tone. He had never been particularly good at theft, but there was something so alluring about loot……. It didn’t matter the form, he was attracted to treasure of any kind.
“Well, I guess I should get back to work”. Faust said, turning towards one of the main streets. Pulling the large bi-colored knit cap back onto his head, he mingled amongst the throngs of shoppers, looking for any purses in need of liberating.
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