The pickpocket was moving in on a scantly clad
woman, wearing shear silk. The target, Mac Anu figured, was a
jade broach she wore on her belt, just above the curve of her
shapely bottom. The jade broach bounced and moved with the ovulations
of her hips as she danced to the music of a group of bards sitting
around a rather obscene statue.
The pickpocket moved through the crowd as a tiger might move
through reeds and grass, to where those that were dancing were
grouped together. Suddenly he danced into the crowd, his body
moving perfectly with the other dancers, as if he choreographed
the stage himself. He twirled one woman, and then another, and
then he was on his mark, the broach slipped easily into his
hand, and was replaced by a small brass locket. Mac Anu found
Naill’s eyes across the crowd, she was giving an approving
look at the skill this man showed. Naill caught his eye and
gave a nod, moving into a better supporting position as the
pickpocket moved from the dancers to the mouth of an alley with
Mac Anu on his back trail.
The pickpocket barely crossed the threshold of the alley when
Mac Anu slammed a forearm into the middle of his back, keeping
the other from moving his arms back for a strike or twisting
out of the attack.
The man reacted like a captured mongoose. He only tried twisting
slightly. Feeling Mac Anu’s forearm barring the width
of his back, he changed his movement taking a long step forward
and then dropped to a knee, spun and came up under and past
Mac Anu heading back to the street. The counter move would have
worked too, had Naill not been there to plant a kick in the
man’s chest as he came back up off the ground. The kick
landed hard, just under his rib cage, the pickpocket lost all
the air in his lungs.
Mac Anu spun, and clamped a hand on the back of the man’s
neck, pulling him up and off his feet. Taking a step to increase
the momentum he created, he planted the man’s gasping
face into the brick wall of the alley.
The pickpocket sucked at the air, trying desperately to get
enough back in his lungs to speak, “Hey, hey…”
he coughed, “I’ve already paid, I’ve already
paid. I paid yesterday!” He finally managed to spurt out.
“Paid who?” Mac Anu snarled.
“Who are you with?” the pickpocket said, looking
hopeful.
Mac Anu let him fall to the ground. “Not with anyone,
we’re looking for the Lady’s temple.”
“What?” said the pickpocket, suddenly outraged.
“You clip me after a pinch to ask directions to the temple?
I should put a dagger where your brains are at, and thank the
shadow they aren’t in your head. I probably couldn’t
reach that high! Why didn’t you just ask at the gate,
instead of bashing me?”
