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[yournewpartner]

Chel was bored. She was inside a building that didn't seem to be in use any more, but was plenty warm - which was why she was in there. She was sitting on a bench in a room that was nearly empty aside from various forms of seeting and two empty bookcases thrown in the room at seemingly random places. Yeah, it was kind of ugly-looking, but that wasn

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[killingedges]

And she got her wish.

The door leading into the building flew open rather abruptly as a young man zipped inside, slamming it shut behind him as voices could be heard approaching outside. He quickly pressed his back against the door, listening intently as the sounds drew near.

"Where'd that bastard go?" "That damn thief, he's gotta be here somewhere!" "He must be hiding around here...!"

The young swordsman, Guy, grimaced slightly at those words. He hadn't stolen a thing; all he'd done was accept some food from a stranger who noticed he was hungry. He didn't know it was stolen until he was halfway through eating it! But they would hear none of that, and, well, here he was

[killingedges]

Unless Chel was slaughtering villages and burning them to the ground to steal their food and riches, odds are he would be okay with it. Actually, one of the best friends he had made on his adventure was a thief by trade; he wasn't a stickler for the law, but there were certain limits.

He stared blankly for a second. "El Dorado? City of Gold? No... no, I've never heard of it." he admitted, arching an eyebrow just a little. "What's wrong with it?"

[yournewpartner]

"You haven't? This place is so weird..." Chel still wasn't used to people around here not all know about El Dorado, when it was the stuff of legends in her world.

"Well, there's nothing wrong with it, really. It's just... Well, for one thing, you can't really change who you are there. I mean..." She pursed her lips slightly, trying to figure out how to explain. "You're born in your position and you're pretty much stuck in it. Besides, it's just... Boring. People don't come. People don't go very often..."

[killingedges]

Guy pondered that for a moment, frowning down at the floor. So... it was sort of like a class system, then. And an isolated one, apparently? His frown deepened a little further; he could definitely understand that she wouldn't enjoy being stuck somewhere like that. He loved roaming from one place to the next; even on the plains of Sacae, he had enough open field to never feel trapped.

Something about her wording piqued his curiosity, though. "So... you're stuck in your class, right? Then, Chel, um... what class were you, in El Dorado?"

[yournewpartner]

Chel rubbed the back of her neck. She wasn't ashamed of what she was, she really wasn't, it was just... She didn't want to be judged based on it. It was odd, really - She was fine with being judged on her looks, but... Well, she was aware that she didn't always make sense, at least.

"I was poor. I..." But no. She was going to leave it at that. For now, at least.

[killingedges]

Guy blinked once. Then twice. Then, abruptly, he laughed, scratching the back of his neck in a gesture that mirrored her own. "I guess we'd be the same, then. I don't think I have a single gold piece to my name." he admitted, grinning sheepishly. Why else would he have to accept apparently-stolen food from total strangers?

"So, there was no way for you to make any money, there?"

[yournewpartner]

Chel was offended at first, then surprised when he spoke, and then - finally - she let out a giggle of her own. "You don't say!" It wasn't much, but it was all she could think to say. For some reason, she was surprised that someone else was as dirt-poor as her... Even though she probably shouldn't have been.

Then her laughter died away and she frowned. "Well... I never... Nothing really worked out, I guess, I mean..." she trailed off with a shrug.

[killingedges]

"It's not so easy to find work as a wandering swordsman." he explained with a small laugh. He smiled a bit wider at her giggle; initially he was glad that whatever seemed to be making her uncomfortable had passed, but then her frown returned. Ahh, he was really no good at talking to girls...!

"... Um, if you don't want to talk about it, or something like that... it's okay. I understand." he offered, "I'll just... uh, stop. Talking, I mean."

[yournewpartner]

"Yeah, I can imagine," Chel murmered, playing with her hair a bit. Poor Guy. It wasn't his fault Chel was being difficult to talk to - It really wasn't. Something was just... Off with her that day, it felt.

"No, it's..." She shrugged. "I am - was - a thief."

And now all she could do was wait for his reaction.

[killingedges]

Another moment of blank staring for you, Chel. Enjoy that awkward moment before he blurted, "So?" It was only right after he said that when he realized his words from earlier; 'rather take everything from someone else rather than earn it for themselves'? Oh gods, did he feel awful now.

"Oh, um. Look, that's... uh, I mean, stealing is... it's not like what I said about brigands, because...!" He pressed his face against the palm of his hand, groaning quietly. "... anyway, I don't mind if that's what you are."

[yournewpartner]

'So?'? Was he serious? After what he'd said before? Too weird... But hey, who was she to question the fact that he wasn't upset with her?

And then he kept talking, and her eyebrows raised in curiosity when he said it wasn't like the brigands. Well, that was good, at least.

"Alright, then," she said with a smile once he was done talking.

[killingedges]

Should he explain it better? Should he just leave it as it was? Should he shove his head through the wall? Ah, man, it didn't help when the awkward situation involved a beautiful girl... and one he was obligated to stand by until his debt was repaid. Most men might think of this situation as a blessing, but for Guy it was the truest test of his nerves to date.

"I... well, I know a few thieves. They're still good people." he tried to elaborate, scratching his cheek, "So, uh, being a thief by itself doesn't make you a terrible person. Um. That's... all."

[yournewpartner]

Huh. To be honest? That was kind of new. Most of the people she'd met who thought thieves could still be people were in some kind of trouble themselves - And more trouble than accidentally obtaining some stolen food. Still, she didn't care about Guy's approval - did she? - and she certainly didn't want him to think she did. So she just shrugged.

"Yeah. I know."

[killingedges]

He nodded, staring at the floor. Truth be told he would have fled this conversation a hundred times over by now if he could - he didn't handle awkward situations very well - but his Sacaean heritage kept his feet glued where they were. Escape wasn't an option with the promise he'd given her, so he would just have to fumble his way through, somehow.

"G... good." This conversation was going nowhere fast, and even he could tell. "So. Um. Since I'll be following you anyway, was there anything you wanted to do?"