Part Seven

Well … she was clean. She smelt good and she looked particularly colourful if she did say so herself. Now she just needed somewhere to sleep.

Tash had decided to disguise herself as a minstrel on the reasoning that nobody would expect the most wanted person in the city to stroll about in a bright yellow coat, blue hat and singing loudly. Her haircut was a bit of a mess, but it was so orange probably nobody would really notice.

Now what she wanted was a middle class type bar. More of a merchants and mercenaries inn. Tash smiled to herself contemplating the potential comforts soon to be available to her. Though it would mean omitting some of the bawdier. Stick to more dull and difficult. Ballads of bravery and lost loves etc. Tash’s preference was more for songs sung by drunk sailors and perverts, but one must adapt to ones environment. She was pretty sure they would all come back to her quickly. Her father had beat them well into her.

She continued down the main road of the city trying to look like a newcomer. It wasn’t difficult. She didn’t venture into this area during daylight often. She stopped to look at shops and bought some flowers. She tucked a bright orange one into her blue hat. Very jaunty.

A small boy with only one hand begged for charity and received some. The boy’s hand had been removed after being caught picking pockets about three years ago. He had worked as an informer for the thieves guild ever since. Tash felt sure he hadn’t recognised her.

She walked pas the guards as unconcernedly as she could and continued looking for a suitable tavern. She wanted a relaxed, but profitable looking place. She vague remembered a place called “The Pink Dragon” which she and her father had sung at once when she was about seven. She had quite liked it there. The innkeeper’s daughter had been about her age and they’d gotten on well together. A nice girl. A bit slow, but good natured. It was a good idea to be on good terms with ones landlord and if they remembered her from then, they wouldn’t connect her with the rogue thief.

For now she was safe.
Sort of.

Tash looked up at the sky. It was a beautiful day. The sky a bright blue with one lone puffy white cloud floating past. The sun was shining. The air didn’t smell to bad. It was possible she could even hear a bird singing, though not probable. She looked around for the bird, curious and ran into somebody.

Tash backed up and was about to give the great lug a piece of her mind when she saw who she’d run into. Standing in front of her was an annoyed looking Captain of the Guards. Captain Jakiel. Not reputed to be a very nice man.

“I’m terribly sorry. I wasn’t looking where I was going. This being such a lovely day and all”, she said with a sunny smile. She presented him with one of her flowers with a bow and continued on around him.

Captain Jakiel’s companion laughed and caught the flower the Captain tossed away.

“Well that’s something you don’t see everyday. One smile and she was putty in your hands, Captain”

“Lieutenant, do you want to live on soup for the rest of your life?” said Jakiel.
“No Captain. Sorry Captain”, said Rowan meekly.
Captain Jakiel glanced back as he started forward again, but then stopped abruptly.
“That mongrel bitch stole my purse. Come on Lieutenant. After her. I am going to chop her hand off personally.”

Tash had stolen the purse purely on reflex and had not found anyway to put it back once she had realised who it belonged too. She was a bit too memorable to fade away and her disguise relied on being in the public eye. Habit was a terrible weakness sometimes.

If she ran away and they found her they would not expect to find the purse on her, but if they caught her straight away and they didn’t find the purse they may think that perhaps somebody else had stolen it earlier and they had only just noticed now.

She ducked into an alley and discretely tossed it up on the nearest roof. Back out on the street again she pulled up a crate, sat down and tuned her guitar. She’d been hoping to find a quiet corner and get some practice in, but this wasn’t quite what she’d had in mind. Captain Jakiel and Rowan ran past just as she started to sing a song for some children about a girl who had been turned into a bird.

They skidded to a halt and the younger one stared. Tash smiled and nodded greetings to them, hoping the nervous sweat wasn’t too obvious. It was a nice warm day after all.

Tash saw the younger one say something to the Captain and hoped like hell they would leave. She continued singing. She was up to the bit wear the handsome prince in disguise kills the evil witch. The children loved it. Kids were bloodthirsty little beasts. They were still there.

She’d hate to play cards with that man.

Tash finished the song with a flourish. The children begged for another. Going with the saying that offence was the best form of defence Tash fluttered her eyelashes at the Captain and asked if he had any requests.