Stealing for Survival

Uther looked at the guards with disdain, but they could not see the malice in their eyes, so inebriated were they. "Fools..." He muttered under his breath, voicing his hatred for those that could not control their lesser instincts. Still, they were both a valuable source of information, and money, too. "Hey, who's this?" One of the guards slurred out, stumbling over to look at the gaily dressed Uther, who was rather colorful, considering the dreary times. Out in the bitter cold, against the white, his clothing drew even more attention, green and gold a shining beacon in the snows. "Is Kaiden Umbridge! Hai! Is one and only, prophetic man from south. Maybe name you know?" Uther replied cheerfully, his voice oddly boisterous. "Is come to teach citizens of great conspiracy! Goddesses not responsible for universe! Is giant duck, paddling in sea of wine, pushing planet around universe! Hai, is true!" Uther's face was completely serious, as if he believed what he was saying.

One of the guards grinned boyishly. "Get'r look at this guy! Pretty funny, huh?" The two guards laughed together, Uther patting them in a friendly gesture; while also relieving them of a few rupees. Uther plastered an aghast look on his face. "Famous prophet Umbridge telling truth!" He seemed offended, but the guards no longer seemed to be paying much attention to him. The bitter cold was too distracting, and as soon as they had come, they started back towards their barracks, a place that appeared both warm and full of food. Quietly following them, knowing they would not notice his presence if he were simply quiet, Uther quickly made he way to their base of operations, trailing after the two. Watching from behind the corner of a building, he watched as the guards opened the door, stumbled in, and promptly shut it. "I'll have to come back later, when this blasted snow is finally gone..." Already it had been snowing for months, making it impossible to leave the city. He was stuck, unfortunately, but Uther was determined to make the best of it. His employers would have to pay him extra, this time.

As Uther thought to himself, a small child caught the edges of his vision, running out from behind the building in which the guards had gone. He seemed to be in a hurry, which made him all the more suspicious, since he'd emerged from an alley way. Sensing that perhaps a profit could be made, Uther decided to give chase, though quietly. Trailing the boy was difficult; he was agile, and the snow only made it more difficult. That, compounded with his poor health, resulted in him nearly losing the boy several times due to fits of coughing wracking his body. Still, the black of the boy's hood always held his attention, even in the snow.

Nestling the old, torn green blanket around her body, Cecilyn tried to keep herself warm from the cold. She was curled into a ball on an old bed, attempting to prevent any heat from escaping. After escaping from her would-be rapist, Cecilyn was left outside of Castle Town. Stranded and alone, Cecilyn entered for help. Although she found herself stranded, Cecilyn found a kind couple who allowed her to stay for a short time. Shortly after this, the blizzard started. While it wasn't a large concern at first, it quickly started enveloping Castle Town. Cecilyn was quickly trapped in Castle Town. To make matters worse, the couple were killed in a panic and outrage by the citizens of Castle Town, leaving her alone.

She had no way to fend for herself and most people weren't willing to help a random girl they had never met. Luckily, she didn't have to. Most of her food was gathered by ChuChu summoned by her. Of course, they weren't always capable of easily obtaining food, and sometimes had to steal it or worse, harm someone to take the food. Cecilyn was unknown to this, but was always happy when she saw her group of ChuChu returning with a loaf of bread, or a small piece of meat. Of course, these journeys weren't always successful, and sometimes the ChuChu would not come back, having chose to steal from the wrong people and being slain.

They wouldn't always come back with food, either. Sometimes they would find random trinkets that were of no use, but happened to be shiny and catch the eye of the goo ball monsters. Occasionally they would return with something else of necessity. However, objects started to come fewer and fewer as time went on. Would there come a point where they would stop coming? Would. . . Would she die? She couldn't do anything to help herself. She was just useless, completely useless.

The house itself was rather small. There were a total of two rooms; A main room, which housed the kitchen and a small living area, and one bedroom for the couple. It was small due to the couple not planning on having others live there. Although there were torches, they had long run out. The only light was from the sun, piercing through the windows and lighting up portions of the house. As Cecilyn laid there, attempting to get warmer, she heard a noise from the main room; Was someone there?

Slowly, she started to stand up, trying not to make very much noise. She slowly moved toward the door, gripping the door handle and slowly pulling it open. As she did, she let out a small, somewhat quiet whisper. "H-Hello? Is someone there?" She hadn't seen another Hylian, much less one who's friendly, in a while.

Uther had been nearing giving the chase up altogether when the boy suddenly stopped, looking as if he were trying to decide where next he should go. Uther took the moment to lean against the wall, coughing into a handkerchief. Flecks of blood dotted the fine silk, but Uther did not shy from wiping his face, though colorful smears were removed from his face. The thick make-up he'd put on his skin had begun to come off, from his sweat and from the moisture of the snow. He'd have to stop somewhere soon, or risk looking both a fool and being recognized for his true face. As it were, while the boy dallied, Uther decided that a quick change of costume was necessary. Using the small piece of cloth to quickly wipe the makeup from his face, Uther let his pack slide from his back, quickly opening it. Shoving the dirtied handkerchief, his headband, gloves, tunic and cloak into the pack, then removing a simple dark purple cloak.

Grabbing a handful of snow, Uther checked on the boy-still hadn't moved. "Good." He muttered under his breath. Melting the snow in his hands, he used the water to flatten his hair rather haphazardly, then, grasping it and forming it into a ponytail, Uther opened and closed a band upon the length of hair. With that done, he stood back up, donning his new cloak. What was revealed was a completely different man; his skin was revealed to be almost golden in color, so dyed it was from repeated use of make-up and pastes. His cheek bones were high, his cheeks hollow and dark, like the large bags beneath his dreary eyes. His knife was a sharp knife against the landscape of his face, looking like the beak of a falcon, if words could describe it as such. His hair, most notable of all, was gray, bordering on white.

Though he'd removed a layer of clothing, his tunic, Uther was not cold; beneath it he'd been wearing yet another tunic, tightly lashed against his body. He took a moment to replicate this with his legs, letting the pant legs fall to his ankles then binding them tightly with strips of white cloth. Donning the purple cloak and pulling the hood over his head, Uther's transformation was complete. Though he didn't like walking around as himself in the streets of Castle Town, his deteriorating state had left him no choice. Placing the pack on his back once again, Uther set off, following after the boy.

He watched from across the street as the boy walked into what looked like an abandoned home, dust heavy upon the windowsills. Interesting.... An orphan, maybe? Uther guessed, wondering why such a boy would stop in an abandoned house. The boy was nicely dressed, so he did not think it likely. By his clothing, his parents were nobility, Uther thought bitterly to himself. Perhaps the boy might give him leverage, or important information. Either way, as the boy shut the door, Uther made his way quickly across the street, peering through the corner of a window, watching and waiting. From his place, he saw as the boy's body tensed, watched his mouth call out to something unseen. He'd removed a dagger, but hadn't yet seen the other person present; Uther had. It was a small Hylian girl. As the boy pulled out the dagger, Uther decided to make his move, bursting through the door.

"Stop!" he puffed out, standing in the doorway. Too late he realized his folly, finding that the boy was still standing there, looking at the girl in surprise. Damn! he cursed himself in his head. In his haste, he'd hoped to stop the boy from killing the girl, whose screams would have drawn nearby authorities. But, unfortunately, it was too late. He'd already been revealed.

As she slowly opened the door, she was met with a boy, appearing somewhat younger than her. "W-Who are you?" She slowly muttered, looking him over. Then, she noticed he had a knife. Quickly, she became cautious. "W-What's that for?" She was slightly scared, keeping her eyes on the boy. As she did, someone else barged in, shouting "Stop!" Was he trying to stop the man? Who were the of them? She took a couple steps back, moving her arms in front of her chest out of defense. Not that it would matter much.

Uther blanched for a moment, realizing that he had revealed himself completely. For most, perhaps, this would have meant nothing. But to Uther, his identity was everything, a secret he hoarded jealously; few people had ever seen his true self, and fewer still had lived to tell of it. He cursed himself for his folly. He should have left the girl to die. He could have slipped away easily, yet what lingering humanity lay buried deep within him had bid him stay, though he was loath to admit it. His beating chest clenched, the iron walls he had erected around his heart trembling as he withdrew further into himself. Already his thoughts had turned to shadow and dagger, of spilled blood and dying gasps. He would be justified in their deaths, and his mind would reason through each bloody twist and turn, as he dragged their dead bodies into the snow, to be found only once winter passed...

Uther shook his head, banishing the red from the edges of his vision. His hands now visibly shook, as he brought one up to his lips, coughs wracking his body. Waves of angry heat crashed through his body, but the pain brought clarity back to him. He had been ready to kill them, but he now realized he'd been too hasty, too passionate. He scolded himself as his body doubled over, hacking into a balled fist. Perhaps he could use them to his advantage. Children were jealous creatures, yet perceptive, and often cunning in their own way. Shadows fell upon his face, a thin, cruel smile stretching across his features. When he straightened himself, the smile was gone, only a ghost lingering at the corners of his lips, now dark red. He wiped the blood from his lips with a small, dark handkerchief.

"My name is Uther... I've been following you, boy, and I must say, I'm impressed. What you did was no easy task." Of course, Uther had no idea what exactly the boy had within his pack, but he could tell the boy had taken something from the guards. The boy had fled the guardhouse furtively, and now that he was caught, he jumped as a frightened rabbit. What he took had to be valuable indeed. Uther flicked his wrist, a small bright object seeming to fly from his sleeve. A silver rupee appeared in Uther's hand, small but gleaming brightly in the light of the room. Though not made of anything but air, the illusion was strong, almost impossible to tell from the real thing. Uther ignored the girl completely; she was a non-factor now. "I've got something in mind, for your particular talents, if you're willing to listen..." Uther's eyes flashed with secret mockery. Wealthy men had fallen to the same trick, sweat beading their brow as they saw Uther's imaginary wealth. How like children, they are...

Uther was both amused and annoyed at the same time; on the one side, the child showed a surprising amount of spirit, where other children his age might have simply withered under a stern adult's gaze. On the other, though, the boy was making his life more difficult, if only marginally so. Uther wasn't terribly worried about the kid: he was afraid, that much Uther could tell. Why else hold onto his dagger with such a grip, his knuckles turning white? Still, he couldn't blame the child. He was, in fact, right to be afraid, and showed the common sense to know that Uther would have no qualms about killing him. Uther, however, was loath to stain his hands with meaninglessly. Uther chuckled softly. The boy had proven to be interesting game.

"Is that so?" Uther replied with a deadly sweet smile. "It seems your parents haven't taught you proper manners, though. Didn't they tell you that it's impolite to not introduce yourself, when someone's given you their name? Tsk tsk." He shook his head slightly, laughing again. "In any case, if your parents are so loving, then what are you doing out here in the cold, hm? It couldn't be that they don't know you're out here, could it?" Uther gasped in feigned shock. "You really shouldn't worry them so, you know. It's dangerous out there, too. Here, why don't you take this." Uther slung the rupee at the boy; but as it left his hand it became a silvery dagger, shimmering as it flew towards Owen's head. Of course, there was no real danger, as it was purely illusion. Owen had been right to think Uther a con artist; that was, after all, what he was paid to do. Uther's lips turned up into a cruel smile, wondering what the boy's reaction would be. One never failed to learn something about a person, when they thought they were in danger.

"Hoh! So his fangs aren't just for show." Now Uther was impressed. Few men would draw their swords against Uther; something in his cold steel eyes beckoned them to their deaths. Never had a child thought to attack him. Of course, it was a stupid notion, given Uther's height advantage, but he commended the boy's bravado. Though there was a small child advancing upon him with a blade, Uther wasn't particularly worried, mostly just bemused. Still, the danger to his being, no matter how insignificant seeming, would elicit a response. This did not mean, though, that Uther had to give the child the response he expected; that is, Uther wasn't about to draw his steel against someone so ill-prepared.

The boy was fast. Uther had to give him that. However, the boy was angry, and as such, Uther found his creativity rather lacking. Uther's right hand flew to a pocket, a blur of gold and brown, his eyes darting around the room quickly. To his left was a table and a few chairs that were perfect. Grasping a clod of pigments in his right hand, used for his make-up, Uther once again used his illusive magic, adding to the glimmer of the already metallic powder. He cast his hand forth, sending a cloud of shimmering bronze, sparkling as if in broad daylight, towards the boy's face. Though not particularly harmful, it was enough to distract and blind a person, if not cause a great deal of irritation. Using the momentary reprieve he had just created, Uther took several quick strides to the table, seating himself at the table before the boy had time to react.

"Are you just going to stand there and gawk, or are you going to say something?" Uther called to the girl across the room, who was apparently still standing there, watching the events unfold. Uther ran his finger across the table, examining the thick dust nonchalantly.

Cecilyn watched as the two bantered back and forth, unable to even comment. Why did they even barge in here? They seemed to continue talking for a small time, before the man threw a rupee at the boy. As the currency left the man's hand, it turned into a shimmering dagger, darting directly for the boy's face. He seemed to panic, quickly trying to open the door in an attempt to escape. It was to no avail, however, as the blade made impact with him. However, it seemed odd. . . It turned back into a rupee? That was really odd. The boy was rather angered at this, as he leaped at the man, Uther with his dagger.

The man didn't seem shocked by this, as he released a puff of glittering color at his face. After this was done, Uther slid over to a nearby chair, taking a seat. Then, he seemed to address Cecilyn, who was previously ignored. What was she supposed to say? These two had entered her home of sorts without even so much as an explanation. She took him up on his question, hastily shouting at him. What are you even doing here?! Breaking into someone's house is rude, you know." She responded to him, saying her sentences rather quickly. She was still kind of nervous; She saw what he did, and that the boy had a knife and a rather short temper. She followed up her sentence with another. "You could at least introduce yourself." Cecilyn was being somewhat unusually calm throughout this, but perhaps having to suffer through the winter has had a slight effect on her mental state?

Uther raised an eyebrow at the girl's feigned bravado. "Didn't you already hear me? Or were you not listening? My name is Uther." Uther began picking at his fingernails nonchalantly, cleaning them though they were already meticulous. "As for breaking into your house, well, you better ask the boy that question. I merely followed him in here." Uther replied, ignoring Owen's angry glares. Though he seemed, outwardly, to not be very interested in Owen's answer, Uther was, in fact, paying very much attention. As he quietly examined his hands, Uther's eyes and ears were ready to pounce on even the slightest tidbit of information.