A Broken Bottle

When he got back up, he couldn't help but search for her with his gaze. The street below was empty, and she wasn't anywhere else he could see either. He bit his lip, it was for the best, wasn't it? Those icy blue eyes lingered in his mind as he wrapped his cloak tighter around himself and walked on the rooftops.

He had to focus on the job first. Beautiful women were nothing but trouble, his own experience proved that too.

Looking at the mansion from the back side, his shoulders dropped even more. Trees blocked the view, making it impossible to tell what this side of the building looked like. Aoric sighed and sat cross legged on the roof.

He saw two options before him: climbing over the wall on the side and sneaking in through the second floor windows, or trying to talk his way inside, then stealing the box while the host was distracted.

Needless to say, the former was the smarter option. He circled around the house, still on the rooftops. Where was the best place to sneak in from? Somewhere dark, where no one would be looking at. Somewhere he could climb over that wall…

"Of all the buildings, she had to choose one with a flat wall around it, didn't she?" He grumbled. This was the only surface in the city with no engravings on it, no statues he could climb onto, nothing etched to the wall he can use to pull himself up. Nothing.

With a sigh, he turned his back on the mansion and walked away. Despite the tiled roofs, his steps mad almost no noise. He leapt over the narrow alleyways and eventually reached the lower, poorer parts of Vesporum.

The difference in architecture, as well as general mood was so stark that he could almost believe he had somehow ended up in a different city.

The buildings here were crooked and tilted towards the streets in between. The walls were filled with cracks or covered by overgrown vines. The statues were blackened with soot and moss growth was everywhere. Aoric slowed his steps as he reached the main street.

A convoy of carriages entered through the city gates as he watched, pulled by horses as dark as the night. A rich person, perhaps even nobility he thought as his worries only mounted. The carriages passed by, but he couldn't see anyone inside because of the dark curtains covering the windows.

Annoyed, he walked to the back edge of the roof and climbed down into a narrow alleyway. Bats screeched as his feet touched the ground, startling him. He pulled the hood of his cloak down and headed to the main street. He had never liked bats, ever. Perhaps it was because of the stories they told in the orphanage, or perhaps because of what happened during the night of the fire…

He shuddered and pushed those memories aside. Now wasn't the time to dwell on the past.

As he stepped onto the main street, the carriages had already passed, and once again the gloomy mood reigned. He didn't mind that and made his way to the inn, only to be met with the smell of alcohol and the shouting of drunkards when he pushed the wooden door open.

"Ah." Was all he could utter as he watched the chaotic scene before him.

"Stay away from me you filthy men!" A woman shouted. She was standing on the only table not missing a leg, and she was holding a broken bottle of red wine. Red liquid dribbled from it as she waved it around at those who dared approach her.

Aoric sighed and pressed his fingers against his cheeks. He sure hoped that was wine and not someone's blood. The last thing he needed was to be involved in a barfight that ended with a murder.

"I will bite your fingers off if you touch me again!" The woman shouted, kicking one of the men trying to get to her. An audible crack sounded as the man fell on his back, wailing and kicking the air, all while covering his bleeding nose.

Taking advantage of the chaos, the woman jumped down the table and ran to the door.

"Are you trying to stop me?" She shouted in Aoric's face as she raised the broken bottle. He had no doubt she would hit him with it if he didn't move aside. He quickly stepped to the side, clearing the doorway.

"Filthy men!" The woman spouted before running out the door. Not a moment later, he heard the sound of glass breaking. She had probably thrown the bottle aside as soon as she was clear of danger.

"Get that rut!" Someone shouted, and a split second later, a small, but furious group of men ran after her. Aoric grunted as some of them pushed him aside. "The hell were you thinking, letting her go?" Someone shouted in his face before running off.

Aoric's expression soured. He wiped the man's saliva off with a disgusted expression as his stomach turned. "Ugh." He grumbled and walked past the man with the broken nose and up the stairs.

Only when he entered his room did he let his posture relax a little. "I need a better inn." He rummaged through his pockets until he found what little coin he had left. "And food." He added. He hadn't eaten anything since this afternoon.

He laid on his back and sighed. Stealing a box from a mansion, it sounded as if it was supposed to be so easy. He had stolen other things from rich people before, he knew he could do it. Then why did he feel like he was being sent into a horrible place?

If it were a lower reward, he would walk away. But… ten times the price of what he tried to steal before… How could he say no to that?

As he tried to fall asleep, all he could picture was not the golden glimmer of coins, but the blue eyes of that woman.