Naught but strays [Belrose | RRP]

What a fascinating sight to behold - a bedraggled and quite humiliated beastman who - of all things - was quite drenched, with soaked clothing sticking to him in many places as he walked away from the scene. There was a story here, a most interesting one to be sure. No beastman would throw himself so near to the domain of the merfolk, not without good reason. Though she had not witnessed the event, Belrose was almost positive that this particular beastman had not taken a dive of his own volition; this was most evident by the way he walked - it was not a proud strut, but an angry prowl. Someone got the jump on him - if one could possibly believe it. While she held no feelings, positive or negative, towards the King of Thieves, Belrose did at least respect his ability to uphold his title. It couldn't have been any ordinary encounter, else he would not have been put in this position.

There really was no point in hiding, at this point; being as close as she was, Belrose was near positive that he would have either heard or smelled her. Being that she was making a thief of herself, he would know her scent quite well by now - as he came across pillages of her own work. The young woman stepped into the open, and walked up to her rival thief. "You must be ill, King." she began, eyes never leaving him for an instant. Wet and humiliated though he was, that did not change his identity - he could try to make a move at any time. Her face remained emotionless as she spoke, reflecting her truest self. "I don't see how else you would have been so easily made foolery of. I do wonder what trouble you managed to get yourself into."

Her words were genuine - as taunting as they may have sounded, she was merely making a statement. The irony of their rivalry was that Belrose could be herself in his presence, and act with no emotions - for she knew she could not fool him with a disguise, force, or flattery.  And so she regarded him coldly, though curiously, as she awaited a response from her rival King of Thieves.

Never would she be allowed to forget his past, it seemed; the dear king of thieves did seem to enjoy bringing up his tragic childhood living in the desert lands as a slave - or something like that. She had lost interest in his tale by now, having heard it so many times already. What grabbed her interest instead was his explanation for the state he was in. He was caught off-guard with a companion in tow...well, that explained a bit, at least. Certainly it did not explain how he was caught off-guard, but it made more sense now that he would end up in such a state. He probably had tried to defend his friend when they were attacked. But that in itself was a mystery, too - why would the King of Thieves travel with a companion? Surely it wasn't that girl he had met at the festival? If it was...that truly opened many possibilities - and many weaknesses that she fully planned to exploit. If the King had his heart stolen...it would be the perfect time to steal his crown.

"Still, you would have heard or smelled them - unless your senses dwindle at this...young age. Although...if the companion you speak of is that young lady from the festival, perhaps she was your distraction." she murmured. "Even then, you could have fought them off, certainly. Unless you were trying to protect your companion - though that would be most surprising for a thief." The blunet listened quietly, taking a moment to drink in his words. His voice was calm, but he spoke with a certain snark. He was quite displeased. The kitten doesn't like being wet... she thought. It was a fact of nature that cats - and many animals, in fact - did not enjoy getting wet. This particular animal responded with snide remarks masked in a cool exterior.

An eyebrow raised as the Thief King brought up her alternate identity, and even mentioned her date. The fact he brought her up only further brought the woman to believe that the Thief King's companion was the lady from before. Unknowingly, Belrose wound her fingers through her long blue hair as she spoke. "You speak as though I am a fiend, a heartbreaker who takes her pleasure and leaves. To be such a woman, I would require the capacity to experience desire." she said coolly, stare never wavering. "And to answer your question, no - I have not left her, we parted ways temporarily. I have more that I wish to learn; she fascinates me so." She paused for a moment, considering the fact that perhaps she shared the same weakness that the King did, the weakness of a companion. But...the difference between he and I is that I do not truly feel. I could walk away at any time. she reminded herself. Her lips twitched into a small smirk. "Besides, I have more important things on my mind than simple flirtation - something which apparently is not the case for you."

With the short snippy dialogue now over, Belrose found herself quite stuck with the same fact - that she was in the presence of a soaked Beastman, her rival in almost two ways. What was she to do next? Robbing him blind would neither be practical nor possible given his current alertness - and for that matter it would serve no good. She wondered if perhaps she should just leave, but something held her fast - that curiosity held strong to the beastman before her, and commanded her attention. She sighed, allowing herself to succumb once more. There was a very important matter that needed discussing now.

 "You have been defeated and humiliated by mere nothings - two facts that render your title utterly broken. Currently, I should address you as merely a Thief - you are no King, nor even a Prince." she murmured. No, King he was no longer...and so she would not treat him as such. At least, until he obtained redemption. "What, then, will be your next move, Thief? Do you take revenge?" She took a step back, leaning casually. "Whether or not you take back your crown is entirely your choice...but act swiftly, before I take it from you. I'm sure defeating the current Kings would be an easy task. " she growled.

It was a dare, of course...all she wanted at first was to see if she could irk him with such a comment, but she genuinely was interested now to see what he would do. She sincerely hoped he did fight to get his crown back. If someone was to dethrone him, it would be her. Those petty "merchants" didn't deserve their victory. She crossed her arms then, the smirk once again returning. It was his move.

"A flawed tactic." came the woman's words, so obvious it was to her that the words came of their own volition. "Even one as...mighty...as yourself can one day fail - and on that day you will not rise unscathed." It was an...honourable sentiment, if such a thing could be spoken of a thief - more likely in his case it was his ego that commanded him to act in such a way. Were their positions reversed, she simply would have traversed a different path, or the alternative - sent them to a humiliating end. His tactic was hardly logical; but, then, such was to be expected from a Thief King. Logic rarely went hand in hand with such a profession.

His next claim held more weight, however, and served beneficially as to clarify her previous curiosity; the King was not infatuated - or at least he spoke as such. It did make sense, however, his reasoning; as a thief he indeed stole the fairest from her potential suitors. While it did little to satisfy her desire to pry further into his being, his response did at least serve to inform her more about his nature. Perhaps his emotional detachment was near level with hers. Near - it was most unlikely for anyone else to be the same as she.

The woman blinked as her adversary continued on in his spiel, claiming the fragility of the term 'revenge' - how it was merely a thing of foolery. Belrose smirked, eyebrows raising slightly. "Your words were rather vengeful for one who does not believe in exacting revenge." she commented, stepping slowly around him. "I believe you have misunderstood the meaning of the word; 'justice' is what you speak of - to equally exact punishment upon the perpetrator. That is not the same as revenge." Stopping once more, Belrose turned directly towards Lance, their eyes meeting in a deadpan stare. "Revenge, for many, is to multiply one's pain several times, and deliver it unto the perpetrator. What you explained, just now....that is, indeed, revenge." I wonder what his revenge will be for me. she thought absently, considering the many ways a thief could crush his foes.

A sudden shift from the other caught Belrose's attention. The claw was quick, but not quick enough. Having come to expect violence from others, Belrose had developed a swift reaction time, and so as her eyes focused on the sweeping motion, her right leg came backwards and she swiveled about it, the fabric of her clothing swishing lightly with the movement. She didn't look away from Lance, but moved a hand down to the belt at which he seemed to be aiming in that swat. Fingers brushed the material, noting the slight feel of scrape marks. I've still a ways to go. she thought, saying nothing for a sort time. He posed to her a most...fascinating question, one that could be interpreted most interestingly. She decided to take this opportunity to try once more to irk him.

"The former King....asking for help from his rival? How interesting." she murmured, resuming her pacing, eyes focsed on him ever more intensely; there need not be any repeats of that earlier incident. There was a brief pause as she thought, considering how to word her response. In the back of her mind, she took note of his slight jab - that she was merely a minor annoyance. I will step up my game, if that is how you feel. she thought, then paused in her movements and crossed her arms.

"If a King is dethroned, and by luck he manages to survive, then historically the way to retrieve his crown is to wipe out the would-be King's family, their assets, their supporters. With only himself remaining in the way of the former bearer of the crown, he is given two options: to step down and face the same fate, or to end in battle." It would be interesting to see how he interpreted it. Certainly, she could mean it literally - wherein the King of Thieves would become even more despicable as a murderer as well - but she very well could have intended it merely as a metaphor, in which the merchants and their whole families would be left peniless and, quite likely, homeless. "As you would put it....he must crush all in relation to he who committed the act."