Sidling around the corner, Carinda quickly lifted up her long, starched skirts and ran to the boulder that lay undisturbed upon the ground. It must have been there for a few months already, perhaps dropped for decorative purposes, for it was already slightly sunk into the ground. One slender hand moved reassuringly to her belt to pat a small leather bag, and then the young thief bent to the task of lifting the rock.
It was no easy task, and several moments later Carinda was hot, sweating, grubby and a little less enthusiastic than when she'd awoken this morning. Sweeping back a riotous tangle of auburn ringlets with fingers worn raw from trying to hold onto the rough stone, she surveyed the boulder with narrowed eyes. Bested by a rock? Not with ten gold on the line - and she redoubled her efforts to pry it from the ground.
This time luck was with her, for the boulder sucked free from its dark resting place enough that she could squeeze the small bag beneath it. Beetles and other insects scurried wildly as their home was invaded, and Carinda watched with interest for a moment before she carefully placed the leather pouch upon the ground. She didn't mind bugs like some women did, but rats and snakes? Shuddering at the thought, she let the weight of the rock bear it to the ground again and then she carefully tidied the area so that no one but Myles would notice that it had been disturbed.
Done! One small, delicate pendant upon a silver chain was now buried beneath the boulder beside the porch, protected by the tiny leather pouch, and the secretive smile was back on Carinda's rosy lips. Blessed by a cleric, the pendant didn't have much value that she could see - but Myles had asked that she steal some sort of charm from Vashenthiel Silvermore, elven ranger. She figured that the strange man likely wanted to torment the poor ranger some more with his pretensions of being a monster in disguise, and the thought had crossed her mind that Myles was not only mentally unbalanced but a kleptomaniac as well. He just didn�t want to dirty his own hands.
Vampiric protection, indeed. Carinda snorted delicately as she dusted her long skirts off and strolled back to the inn. Perhaps these people needed to get out more often into the real world - or at least pull their heads from the frightening fairy tales that parents shared with their children.
Vampires and fairy tales were gone from the young thief's mind a short time later as she merrily savoured a delicious breakfast cooked by Khelti, and she had the entire inn to herself to linger over a cup of hot cider afterwards. She paid her bill with coin received from Myles, and then she proceeded to bounce back upstairs.
Time to catch a little more
sleep before her trip to the orphanage for a visit.
