Snippet #2740679

In the week since Marcus and Jeanne had reached Cre’Est, they were quick to start making money. Snooping around and gathering information while the jester conducted a (mostly) honest trade by day, and planning their more... lucrative ventures by night. They needed to know the lie of the land. Where the wealthy made their homes, and where best to fence any ill-gotten gains. Marcus also made sure to keep an eye out for any scholars or linguists who might be able to translate the mysterious documents that had got them into this mess in the first place. Speaking of which, the thief took each excursion with due caution; there was no telling when Te’i Sai would try to reclaim their property.

With no other place to go, Marcus and Jeanne stayed at the Rose and Curd, with more than enough cash to pay the rent, and the innkeeper none too fussed as to where it came from. Quinn and Marcel had similar plans, though with each having their respective day to day business, they saw relatively little of each other. On the few occasions that Marcus saw Quinn, however, he couldn’t help but feel a touch of pity for seeing the jeweller in such a sorry state as the week went on. He was almost glad when Jeanne lived up to her promise of a shopping spree, that it might cheer Quinn up at all.

More out of habit than anything else, Marcus would tend to disappear into the crowds and explore the market district at his leisure, though he made sure not to stray too far away from the others. He spent more time browsing than actually buying anything, unaccustomed as he was to making frivolous purchases. Some street food from a vendor was all that was necessary to sate his needs.

Making his way back to the group, he could have sworn he saw movement out of the corner of his eye, up on the rooftops. Before he could think too much about it, he abruptly shielded his eyes as a blinding flash assaulted his vision, accompanied by a bang that left his ears ringing. Acting on instinct, he turned and ran as a cloud of smoke billowed from where the flashbang went off, only to stop after several metres. Where was Jeanne? And for that matter, where were Quinn and Marcel? If nothing else, he certainly couldn’t leave Jeanne behind.

Seconds later, he heard Quinn’s voice cry out, heralding the very thing he had been dreading ever since he and Jeanne had stolen those documents. Te’i Sai. He was still recovering from the shock of the blast, but Marcus definitely couldn’t leave them behind now. And so he ran in the opposite direction of the crowds, doing his best to remain unseen by Te’i Sai’s henchmen...