Felicity swallowed a hard lump in her throat and squirmed beneath the weight of the oddball mage now straddling her. She had hoped for a quick score to get some dinner, she should have been paying closer attention. This strange girl was the last person she wanted to run into again.

 “You did rob us, but still….” Chauncey scratched the faint whisper of a bear on his cheek as he purposefully avoided eye contact.

Payment in gold or payment in flesh.” Morana intoned, ignoring Chauncey’s weak attempt at protest. “Both are equally valuable in my eyes.

Felicity blanched. “Wait! We’re friends, aren’t we?”

Morana cocked her head, puzzled by the obvious statement. “yes, hence I’ve given you a choice.”

Chauncey places a firm hand upon Morana’s shoulder. “Don’t be so cruel, I can only imagine the fate dealt that would lead the very portrait of beauty down a life of crime.”

Both Felicity and Morana shoot Chauncey a glare of unmitigated disgust, causing him to shrink back in surprise.

 “Er…right…” Felicity attempts to wriggle free, but the mage only tightens her grip. “I was forced by sad circumstance to…pickpocket…by a Lord! A right mean one too. Took my family’s farm. And honor, took the family honor too.”

“See! It’s as I said.” Chauncey puffed out his chest a bit too smugly for one taken in by such an obvious con. “That’s enough Morana, she is beaten, and we got what was stolen. At the very least we don’t want to cause a scene.

“Fine.” Morana lets out an irritated sigh and releases her captive. “Fresh ovaries of a maiden usually work best, but I suppose I could just as easily use some from a corpse.”

“You know what? I’m not even going to bother asking.” Chauncey offers the thief a hand and helps her to her feet. “Are you alright my dear?”

 “Uh…yeah…thanks.”

Felicity glances hesitantly over her at Morana and shrinks behind Chauncey. “Keep that witch away from me!”

Morana points a questioning finger at herself. “Witch? Well, I suppose in a general sense, but I prefer to be addressed by my proper title. I am an Erudite Necromancer.”

The Felicity takes a step back further.

“Don’t mind Morana, she is…eccentric, but harmless” Chauncey mutters I hope under his breath.

“Forgive me if I don’t just take your word.” Felicity glanced about, searching for a way out.

“What the hell is this? Found another friend?”

The young thief quickly raises her hood as Cormag approaches and begins to subtly back away from the group.

Morana tightens her cloak against the cold. “No, same one as before.”

“Well thank you all so much for your kindness, but I really must be off. Bye!”

 “Wait a moment! We didn’t even—” Before Chauncey could turn around, the young thief had darted off. “get your name…”

“Don’t fret so, she was probably some thief, got spooked upon seeing my uniform.”

“she wasn’t a thief!” Chauncey protested. “She was a goddess thrown the cruelest of fates, forced to degrade herself to survive in this cruel, wretched world! We should be offering aid! Not scorn!”

Morana raised a curious eyebrow at his choice of words. “Degrade herself?”

“Ok, so she was a prostitute. Calm down kid, there’s gotta be plenty of whores in this little shanty town.”

“No! no, that’s not…” Chauncey clears his throat and takes Morana’s hands in his own. “I assure you; I am not the type of man that utilizes the services of prostitutes.”

Morana quickly slips her hands from his. “I never asked if you did, nor would I care. By the way, where’s your wallet?”

“My wallet? Its hanging from my---”

Chauncey’s face grows bright red as he franticly searches for a coin purse that is no longer there.

“Should have just let me take her ovaries, and none of this would have happened.”

Cormag shoves a black mink and fox fur coat into Morana’s arms and continues down the road. “I won’t even hazard a guess…”