In my free time at the temple I would often go to the Marketplace in Waterdeep and watch people hawk their wares of breads, cheeses, fabrics, woodcrafts, smithwork, etc. There were also the occasional pick pockets and tricksters on the prowl and I'd watch them very carefully. I learned how to pick a pocket with my mark non the wiser and how to fool a tourist at the shell game. I earned almost coin sharking people at that than I did picking the pockets of some drunk tavern patron attempting to shamble home after an after deep in his cups. The Sisters at the Temple I think knew what I was doing in retrospect but at the time I thought I was pulling one over on even them. I had a place to sleep and a meal in my belly everyday thanks to Tymora's priestesses so I'd put some of my hard earned stolen coin in the coffers before bed. I'd stash the rest under my thin mattress for new bow string or to replace / repair some broken arrows, and new clothes.
OH how I do love new clothes. Nothing feels quite as good as new soft as butter leather armor fitting close to your body, hugging every curve like an experienced lover...ahem...I digress. (sigh)
One day was working a mark at the shell game and had taken most of his money (a good bit of it when he wasn't looking at me) when Sister Graelle was walking by with a very important looking sorcerer. He'd been to the temple many times to talk to her so I was familiar with his face and never really cared to know his name. They were deep in conversation so I followed them. Listening in, I learned that the Sister was moving to Phandalin, a newly settled mining town located south of Neverwinter to set up a new Temple to Tymora. Graelle was one of my favorite Sisters and I was going to miss her. She was the one who, 7 years ago now, took one look at my 8 year old self and said that Tymora herself brought me to her. She sat me down by a fire, fed me an meal and gave me the few rules the orphans followed in order to stay. She reminded me a little of my mother and so I stayed.
Keeping close behind them I noticed that the prominent sorcerer had a very large and full coin purse on his belt. Pulling the hood of my new cloak up to hide my face and borrowing a walking stick from a nearby merchant who had a bad knee, I hobbled up to them like an elderly person with poor eyesight. Bumping into him, I nimbly lifted his purse while muttering an "sorry,so sorry, Mi'Lord. Me eyes aren't what they used to be" before hobbling off as quickly as my guise would allow. Ducking around a corner, I dropped the walking stick and opened the coin purse to see what I'd earned. It was full of useless rocks! Swearing profusely, I'd been had. He'd marked me as well as I had marked him. I felt like such a damn fool. Threw the purse down and made my way back to the Temple, not wanting to challenge any more marks that day.
I was sitting in the main area of the temple sharpening one of my daggers when Graelle came in. While she was put out that I made one of her colleagues a mark, they had both been impressed by my ability to pull off that fast disguise and to lift his purse so easily. So impressed that Graelle told me to report to Daniel Horne at the Cask and Brew Tavern the next day to discuss a possible opportunity.
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