time is theirs (nathaniel)

[Deleted]

Oct. 26th, 2024

Rai loved visiting the village of Hogsmeade, and really did a good deal of business around there. Well, at least meeting clients and employers. It was a well known wizarding location so it was an easy place to meet up with people. She had just finished getting set up with another gig at the Hogs Head and decided to explore a little while she was here. It was a Hogsmeade weekend for Hogwarts, apparently, and the streets were full of students all excited about Halloween and the upcoming Haunted Hogwarts event. Rai was definitely going to go to that, most likely with her cousin Finn if he was up for it. Which she assumed he would be, they both loved that kind of activity. Tons of people, fun, games, it was basically an event that could have been planned just for the Jones pair.

Hogsmeade was decorated for Halloween as well, and it looked lovely. She loved Halloween, always had. It was a nice time for partying and screwing around, sure, but there was also a sort of melancholy air to it that just made it that much more special to her. She felt like her and Halloween had a lot in common. Fun on the outside, maybe even light hearted, but a little darker and sadder in it's history and innards. It was a Holiday to pretend to be something else, after a-

Her thought was distracted when she realized her small purse over her shoulder was gone. It was across her shoulders, over her head, impossible to drop or to be grabbed... but, she used her highly trained thief eyes to scan the crown until she saw someone a good few feet away tucking something into their robes. She smirked, and followed the boy.

Nathaniel David Forrester

[Nathaniel David Forrester]

now you see me.

HOOD UP, HEAD DOWN, STEADY PACE. IT WAS AS simple as that. Nate hadn't gone to Hogsmeade to do this, but God it was so easy here. Everybody was thick with Butterbeer, or fiddling with Weasley gadgets. People weren't watching their pockets. But, he was supposed to be 'reformed'. He was on probation! And yet, there he was, his pockets already lined with a pocket watch and a pair of bespoke leather gloves.

And then he spotted it. The woman was so busy admiring decorations. Her flimsy purse strap twisting in the nippy wind. Nate ran his finger along the tip of the small pocket knife he had. It was dangerously sharp, and a thief back home had taught him that a sharp blade was a thieves necessity. For protection and aid. Nate slipped past with a crowd, a mixture of rowdy students and patrons. As he passed, he slipped the woman's purse strap between his blade and his fingers and with a nip and a tug the strap was cut and the purse was tucked toward his chest.

Never pull, he'd been taught. Let it come to you. And he'd done that. The adrenaline coursed quick and fast through Nate's body as he tucked the purse in to the fold of his robes, the broken strap hastily wrapped around its middle. He walked with the crowd for a little while longer, using them as cover until he could head down a frosty back alley that led back towards school grounds. He'd done it, he'd actually done it!

@railynn

NEVERLAND at ADOXOGRAPHY 2.0!

[Deleted]

As much as she knew she shouldn't be encouraging pickpocketing, she was rather impressed with the boy for managing to do it to her. She was sure that once he realized she was following him he would probably be scared I think she would be angry, and she probably should be. But, alas, she wasn't. It was fun to see someone experiencing the world the same way she did at that age. She had originally started stealing to impress her friends and develop skill, she wondered what this boys reason was for starting this life. it would be nice, however, if you didn't get involved in the entire black-market scene of it all. It was not a pretty place, and she wouldn't wish it on anyone. She was too far in to leave of course, but this kid wasn't. However, she knew any lecture She could give to him about that would probably fall on deaf ears. Just like they would have on her teenage self.

Rai continue to follow him as he went down the path that led back to the school. She smirked, knowing that she shouldn't let him get too far if she wanted to talk to him. She wasn't a student anymore after all, and didn't think that she would be allowed to just walk into the school following some kid. So she picked up her pace, ducking between a few other random students here and there until she reached him. she bumped into him, hard, in an attempt to get the purse to fall out from its hiding place within his robes.

Nathaniel David Forrester

[Nathaniel David Forrester]

now you see me.

NATE HAD BEEN SURE HE'D GOTTEN AWAY WITH IT, and Nate never let himself celebrate too early. That was what losers did, he almost always managed to pocket his satisfaction for when he was alone. The person who had taught him to steal in the first place had told him that, a muggle from back home. Just another 'unsavoury individual' Nate wrapped himself up in. But, in reality, Nate had been stealing long before then. Since his orphan days.

Out of the comfort of the back alley, Nate was just about to pull his hood down when someone barrelled in to him. "Watch it!" He snapped, the bag slipping down the inside of his robes until he had to stop and clamp his arms at his sides to stop it falling to the ground. It was an awkward and unnatural pose, but Nate turned his back just in case. That was another reason he didn't like Hogsmeade. People were so fucking rude.

With his back turned, Nate ducked a hand in to the front of his robes and slowly pulled the bag back up under his arms. He didn't turn back, or try and spot the person who had jostled him, which was perhaps his biggest mistake. Because, when he pulled the bag back in to place, the cut strap unravelled and hung like a tail out the back of his robes. As clear as day, dragging up dirt on the ground as he shifted in place. 

@railynn

NEVERLAND at ADOXOGRAPHY 2.0!

[Deleted]

The boy called for her to 'watch it'. clearly not paying attention to who had run into him. She stifled a giggle as to not give herself away just yet as he awkwardly caught the purse low at his side and lifted it up. She let him keep walking, keeping up a slow pace behind him. But then she couldn't stifle her laugh anymore as she saw the purses strap hanging out behind him. She covered her mouth and made a slight snorting sound as she reached forward with her free hand and grabbed the strap. She yanked it back, unsure if it would knock him off balance or if the purse would just come away from him. Either way, she was having fun. This kid wasn't too bad at thieving, and maybe had some future potential... not a bad contact to have if he wasn't too embarrassed by being caught.

Nathaniel David Forrester

[Nathaniel David Forrester]

now you see me.

UNBEKNOWNST TO NATE HE WAS TRAILING A rather obvious tell behind him for a good few feet before it caught up to him. He felt the initial tug, his hand gripping the body of the purse instinctively before it was yanked away from him, rippling up the back of his robe as it was pulled out from under his arm and out the back.

Nate stumbled backwards slightly whipping around in a panic as he looked down at the purse on the ground and along to where a hand gripped the end of the cut strap. "What do you think you're doing?" Nate snapped angrily, glaring daggers at the girl's hand who seemed to have no intention of letting go. Nate bent and grabbed the purse, tugging on the end before he was met with resistance and he looked again only to realise just who he was playing tug-of-war with. The owner of the purse.

Funnily enough, the shock of finding out that he'd been caught didn't make Nate turn and run. He'd tried that before without success. Instead, he yanked hard on the purse and grasped it tightly to his chest. "Are you- are you trying to steal for me?" He asked, swallowing hard. She couldn't be sure it was her purse unless she saw inside it. He just had to make sure he could slip away before she could. 

@railynn

NEVERLAND at ADOXOGRAPHY 2.0!

[Deleted]

She felt some resistance as she pulled, but then he lost control of the bag and she pulled it toward her. The purse fell onto the ground, and she didn't lift it up just yet. She held onto the strap tightly, letting him take the sight in when he stumbled and turned around. He followed the strap up to her hand, and she gave a little wave of her fingers, waving them one at a time, until he spoke. 

His tone was harsh, and she couldn't help but laugh a little. He grabbed the purse and she kept her grip tight. She waited until he looked up, seeing her face, before speaking. "Hi," she said calmly. He then yanked on the purse and she took a step forward with the force, but didn't let go. He asked if she was trying to steal from him. A clever choice, but he wasn't very convincing. At least not to her. "Oh heavens, no. I'm trying to take my purse back. I appreciate you picking it up for me. I must have dropped it. I assumed you were taking it back to the schools lost and found?"

Nathaniel David Forrester

[Nathaniel David Forrester]

now you see me.

THE UNNERVING CALM ON THE WOMAN'S FACE unsettled Nate. This wasn't the common reaction of somebody who had just been stolen from. Nate had been yelled at, chased, and even smacked a few times but he'd never been greeted. For a second he wondered if she really just didn't know he'd stolen it, a confused scowl on his face, but there was something about her tone that didn't make sense. The look in her eye that Nate found acutely familiar.

"Right..." He said slowly, flattening his expression as he dropped the purse from his hands and allowed it to thump back on to the ground. There was a point when every thief knew when to give up the ghost. "I'm... really glad I found you." He said, his lips hitching in the echo of a smirk, though he dampened it down considerably in case the woman's odd mercy had a limit. "Looks like the strap broke."

Hands now limp at his sides, Nate knew that his face had been seen and that the woman was not as dumb as she looked, so it was only natural that he felt the overwhelming urge to flee. He took a slow step backwards. "You're welcome, by-the-way." He added, because he couldn't quite help himself. "But I... I gotta go. Curfew and all that."

@railynn

NEVERLAND at ADOXOGRAPHY 2.0!

[Deleted]

She had definitely stumped him, which made her feel incredibly giddy inside. It was hilarious, really. He said he was glad he found her, mentioning the broken strap and then saying 'you're welcome', which made her want to laugh out loud. His step backwards indicated that he was ready to turn tail and run, but Rai wasn't done having fun with the little thief yet. "Here, let me walk you partway. It's been a while since I've been on the path," she suggested, walking by him in order to head toward the school.

She was contemplating how best to reveal to him that she did indeed know he had robbed her... one fun way would be to try and steal something off of him, but that wasn't so easy when he was aware of her presence. She couldn't 'pick pocket' him, necessarily.... no, the best course of action was probably to just bring it up when he wasn't expecting it, give him pointers...

She'd wait a little longer before revealing that.

Nathaniel David Forrester

[Nathaniel David Forrester]

now you see me.

NATE HAD HOPED TO SIMPLY DISAPPEAR IN TO the crowd and never see the woman again. In fact, he'd have been quite pleased to do just that. However, the woman was clearly not quite done with him. Somehow, Nate wasn't surprised. His chest tightened and his first instinct was to snap a refusal. But, that wasn't the behaviour of The Good Samaritan. He tried to relax each tense muscle in his face with great difficulty.

"Sure," He forced out, a flat smile on his face as he tucked both hands deep in to his robes, turning on his heels when she sidled up beside him. He didn't ask her why the path was familiar, or how long it had been since she had graduated, he didn't care. And a bit could only go so far before one considered digging their own grave. And then a question flew up behind his lips, one he hadn't intended on asking at all. "What're you doing walking alone, anyway?" He asked, which sounded more like an accusation than a question. "It's Hogsmeade Weekend, this must be the worst day of the month for a local." 

@railynn

NEVERLAND at ADOXOGRAPHY 2.0!

[Deleted]

The kid was clearly tense, which made Rai want to laugh out loud. But, she held back - for now - there would be plenty of time for laughing later after she made a fool out of him. Not necessarily in a mean way, but enough to have a good laugh.

He agreed to let her walk with him, but his smile was horribly dull. He put his hands in his robes and she wondered if he was scared she'd try to take something from him as payback. He asked what she was doing walking alone and she shrugged, "I generally manage my business by myself," she answered. She chuckled at his next comment, she shrugged, "I have a lot of business around this area, can't really plan it around a school field trip. I don't mind, though. It's kind of nostalgic seeing you all running around. I see you're a Slytherin?" she noted.

Nathaniel David Forrester

[Nathaniel David Forrester]

now you see me.

NATE DIDN'T UNDERSTAND NOSTALGIA ALL THAT much. It seemed like a sad man's dream to look backwards instead of forwards. If he sat and thought about the past all day it'd depress him, but he pretended to smile and nod, like he cared about why she was alone or what she was doing. He just wanted to walk and walk until he could leave her behind. Lick his wounds of failure alone.

"Cool," He drew out, a stiff smile on his face. Though, he felt his heart jump as she noted his green school colours, the little Slytherin pin poking out around a fold in his robes. He hadn't meant to look so obvious, but he blended better in uniform at a Hogsmeade weekend. "Yeah I am." He said, reaching up to scratch at the side of his neck as he felt questions bubble in the space between them. He didn't want her to know anything about him, so he lied a little bit. "Fourth year," He added, a thin, forced smile on his face. "Were you a Slytherin?" He recalled her comment of 'nostalgia' and used it against her, she must have been a student too.  

@railynn

NEVERLAND at ADOXOGRAPHY 2.0!

[Deleted]

He said he was a fourth year, which she didn't question. She was no good at gauging people's ages anyway. Sure, she could easily reach into his mind and learn quite a bit about him if she wanted to - but she wasn't trying to steal from him or anything so there was really no need to scope him out in any way. Plus, she liked the mystery of not knowing much about people. It wasn't a luxury she often had.

"Gryffindor, but don't worry, plenty of thieves are born and bred there too," she chimed, raising an eyebrow at her purse, then looking back to him. "You have a good technique, but you should learn when to recognize another thief so you don't swipe from 'em," she spoke very casually. "It'll save you the nasty trouble of getting caught."

Nathaniel David Forrester
(I shouldn't have assumed he was wearing his robes, haha! Anyway, sorry this is technically dead but I'm reviving it because I hate being a MUR.DUR.ER.)

[Nathaniel David Forrester]

now you see me.

NATE SURPRISED HIMSELF BY SNORTING AT THE woman's easy humour. He didn't doubt that there were plenty of dodgy individuals in Gryffindor. "Yeah," He said in agreement, a slight tilt to his chin as he added. "Gryffindor's only think they're morally superior." Which he knew might insult the woman, but he couldn't help himself. He'd been to too many Quidditch games to stop himself. And while her advice wasn't exactly welcome, Nate still found himself shifting slightly with curiosity.

"What..." He sighed, feeling silly at having to ask. "How exactly am I supposed to notice another thief?" Because it wasn't as if they wore a big sign around their necks saying 'Not A Mark'. But, Nate hadn't quite figured out how to tell the difference between a good mark and a difficult one yet. As far as he was concerned, fellow thieves were not forbidden ground. He just had to learn how to be good enough to steal from them too. And maybe she could help him with that. 

@railynn  
it's cool! we can end it soon if you'd like

NEVERLAND at ADOXOGRAPHY 2.0!

[Deleted]

He said Gryffindors only thought they were morally superior and she couldn't help but snorting out a laugh of her own. "You're not wrong," she agreed. Gryffindors were a very layered breed just like every other house. People thought they all were the same, but really nobody was.

The kid then questioned how he could recognize another thief. She grinned, "there are a few ways. First thing, they always look around to see what's most valuable. We're pretty sneaky about it, but you can be sure we're noticing everyone. You should work to notice everyone too - that will help you recognize them. Thieves have different techniques though, but you can pick out different types. Like me, for instance. I'm the type that makes myself known in a crowd. I'm fun, loud, so no one thinks anything of it when I get close or bump into them. Whereas you seem the more... Aloof type."

Nathaniel David Forrester