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Alesbridge could be spotted far into the distance, and Altair couldn't help but keep his thoughts occupied on what waited him past the city walls. Markam was somewhere inside and hoped not to run into him. He couldn't think of how to explain to Robyn that the man had hired him to rob her family.
"Ya lost five coins?" Altair nodded his head sullenly. He didn't know there had been a rip in the pouch when he stole it. Berad 's eyes narrowed suspiciously as he gripped Altair's wrist and pried his clenched fist open.
Emptiness greeted him, and a smirk appeared on the older man's face. "An honest thief doesn't pay off boy. Another failed lesson from you." Reaching for a bottle of ale, he took several swigs before sitting it down loudly. "I want ya to tell David that ya're willing to clean his tavern tonight for food." A grimace appeared on Altair's face at the thought. David's tavern was huge, and cleaning it would take all night.
"Don't give me that look boy. Ya botched another lesson and I ain't feeding ya." Berad's mud colored eyes drilled holes into him until he had to look away. Walking outside of the run down house he called home, Altair let the door shut loudly behind which he knew he would pay for later.
The sun was lazily falling down the sky until it would soon be nestled below the horizon. Shouts of children could be heard as he made his way down the old wooden stairs that lead to the street below. Four children were brandished with wooden swords and occupied in a heated battle over who would get the last apple for the night. A young blond girl was triumphing over the others and the sight made him think of Robyn.
Deep regret would always flare up inside him when he thought of her. He had left without a word, not even to her, and wondered what she was like now. She was probably safe inside her father's manor kept away from harm. "Exactly where she should be..." He said quietly as he made his way past the children and towards a tavern with boisterous laughter emanating from it.
Smoke hung heavily in the air causing his eyes to sting on contact. Rubbing at them, he made his way over to the counter where David stood. He was a frail man with pale skin. Altair had stolen several bottles of various alcohols from him before, which he knew the bruises on his back could attest to.
Coughing to get his attention, "I'm in need of food and willing to clean your tavern tonight for it." David peered at him under his sharp gaze. " "Ruse to steal more of my ale? Every bottle is important to me and you've stolen well over twenty! I have every right to kick you out of here on sight."
Altair sighed, he didn't need this. Today was his 16th birthday, and he would be spending it cleaning a tavern for food. His tone became cold as his knuckles bit into the counter. "Look, I know your tavern well and I'm fast. If I clean it you won't have to and can sleep earlier tonight." David's eyes scrunched up as he thought of the proposition. "You can have one mug of ale and the remains of the whatever meat that’s left. I want you out of here before dawn."
He nodded, though knew the tavern would still take hours to clean regardless of how fast he was. Gripping a mop, he got to work on sections of the tavern that patrons had left alone that night. Yes, he was right to leave how he did. If he had left a letter for Robyn she would have only tried to follow, and he wanted her far away from a life such as this.
[ 08-05-2006, 11:54 PM: Message edited by: Deiter Leafblade ]
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