Dreams are Lies [Kaz]

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He had decided to move on from Brightwater Keep and travel to Sunfall. He had the feeling people started to recognize him in the city and that was never a good thing when your job was to steal from people. Of course, it could just be his paranoia talking, but it was better to be safe than sorry. Besides, he started to hate the town and it's fishy smell. There were much better places to be and today he was trying to find out if Sunfall was one of them. He had heard many great stories about the city and its history, but now he was seeing it with his own eyes. it was true waht they said, if you didn't know where you were headed, you could get lost easily. Kaz had the feeling he was walking in circles, but he always maanged to get back on the main road, which was littered with vendors and other salespeople, trying to sell their wares. This town was a town of trades and Kaz felt at home.
These busy streets were perfect for a small inconvenience for other people, for Kaz it was an oppertunity. He just had to be at the right place at the right time. And all the time he was waiting for that time, he had a smile on his face. Kaz never really smiled, especially not when he was happy. Was he ever happy? Was this what this feeling was? Better not to think long enough of it before he got all confused again and his day would be ruined. Even though it was just morning, the sun was already high enough to give off some warmth and Kaz wasp leased that he for once wasn't cursing the damn weather. Winter couldn't pass soon enough for him.

He passed many people selling their wares, but only when he reached one of the busiest streets of Sunfall, he thought about getting to work. He had a long day ahead of him and it would be nice to start it with a full bag of gold. Morning meant that people would be doing their groceries, maybe going to a bakery to get their bread for today. It was a nice moment to just slip into someones pocket and relieve them of the heavy burden of choosing which bread they liked best. Because if they couldn't pay for it, they didn't have to choose. The smells made him hungry, but Kaz was focused. He limped through the streets, avoiding the middle part where people rushed through. He didn't want to be an inconvenience to any one, well not a bigger one than he already was. His blue eyes looked over the people standing at the stores and his eyes stopped wandering when he sa an old woman. Ah, old people, this was easy. Kaz followed the path he had said out for himself, sometimes letting his eyes wander, but they always went back to the old woman. That was, until he noticed the tiny hand that slipped into the woman's purse. A tiny hand that belonged to a tiny child that smiled and directly walked away. Did she just..? For a moment, Kaz had to gather himself again. It didn't happen often someone struck before he did. But he was bad luck anyway. With interest, he kept on walking, not letting the child out of his sights. Eventually, she felt his eyes poking in her back and she turned around. She looked too innocent for these kind of crimes, she was too young. But Kaz knew what one had to do to survive, he'd been there. ''That wasn't very nice of you.'' He said after a few moments of exchanging stares, with a soft tone. ''You sure must know that stealing isn't a very good thing to do.'' He leaned a bit on his cane, his eyebrows raised, yet his eyes were soft, almost trying to understand her. This was very unlike him, but in a way, this child reminded him of his past, the way he had tried to survive. It hit a spot in him that he had forgotten he had.

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Kaz never really had been font of children. They were too loud, reckless and always got in the way. But you always had teh outcasts, the silent ones, the weirdos. Come to think of it, Kaz never really discovered where he belonged. His life was already turned upside down well before he set his foot inside a school. It was a miracle he could read and do maths. But one could overcome any obstacle if he had enough willpower to do so. That was, if your obstacle wasn't a wall in Kaz's case, because climbing had never really been his forté. He rather stuck to the familiar ground of the streets and paths of the woods.
The girl in front of him was shy, was she afraid? No, it didn't look like that. It felt like a mix with embarassement. Because he had caught her? Because she thought she could've done better? Or because her morals got in her way? She was an enigma Kaz would love to discover. Her soft voice made him chuckle and he lightly shook his head. ''Very smart.'' He returned, his eyes looking around for a short moment before reverting back to her. ''That's the spirit.'' He smiled, limping a little bit closer to her. With some effort, and with a face that made clear that the movement wasn't painless, he bend through his knees, until he was at the same height as her. ''What is your name little spider?'' He asked with the same soft tone in his voice, his eyes examening every inch of her face. Her innocence was so sweet it almost corrupted him. How lbeen since he had seen this? The fact the girl was out on the streets stealing, made clear her history wasn't as pure as she looked, which only made her more fit for the job.

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How bad were these streets really= As a thief it was wise to know your surroundings, to make sure that every move you made, was also a move that offered an escape. The streets in Sunfall had many alleyways and small cobblestone paths that would lead to complete different terrain. The small canals with their many boats made it hard to get through, but maybe you could hop on one from another. Kaz rather liked to disappear in the crowds and walk with every direction they were going and eventually slip in a narrow alley to avoid any confrontations. Until now, that had worked perfectly, but perhaps it was nice to have an accomplice with him, someone like her.
It wasn´t until the girl - Zanna - touched his hand that he got back to focussing on the real world again. How stupid it was to get lost in thoughts. This was not the place nor the time for it. Kaz smiled again, taking her hand in his and shaking it a little. ''Good to meet you Zanna. My name is Kaz.'' He didn't go by his old name anymore. It brought back memories he wanted to forget, that were no longer his to keep. He reassured his position and shuffled a bit with his feet, feeling his leg ache. ''How long have you been on the streets? Don't you have a home to go back to?'' He informed with that same, soft voice. People passed by them, only akknowledging them shortly, before continueing their days. To them it would probably just look like a brother comforting his sister, that was, if you didn't look long enough and didn't notice his dark look. Maybe it was for the best Kruge wasn't here now.

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It would just be a matter of time before Kaz would leave this city again and moved onto the next one. He liked his travels, no matter how inconvenient they were for his leg. But it was a way to keep his paranoia at bay and to reassure himself everything would be alright. He wouldn't be found by her, he wouldn't get caught by the ones who were looking for him. It was inbetween the cities and villages, Kaz felt free the most. It was then that he sometimes let his emotions out, to annoyance from Kruge. Kaz knew the crow would stay with him as long as he had to, as long as Kaz didn't deal with his problems. He knew it would only be a matter of time before the things of the past would be knocking at his door. And if that happened, Kaz wanted to be as far away from any civilization he could. That may sound drastic, but Kaz knew very well what he was capable of.
A few weeks was her answer. Just a few weeks. She had so much to learn and yet, she knew a lot already. But the question rose what had happened that she ended up on the streets. She was probably an orphan, or ran away from an abusive home. Maybe one of her parents tried to sell her for money they could invest into drinking. There were endless posibillities in towns like these, he would find out eventually. A faint smile lay on his lips when she asked him the question how he knew. ''It's the look a person has in their eyes. Their movements. They are insecure, yet persistent, because they need to survive.'' He told her, letting go of her hand. ''I can help you get rid of those insecurities. I can make sure you have a roof over your head.'' A strange offer from a strange man, but he had good intentions. Or well, he told himself they were good. Learning a child how to steal and possibly murder someone was maybe frowned upon. But Kaz meant it well and that was what mattered. Right?

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How lucky she was she had encountered him. No one wanted to see a child growing up on the streets, trying to survive on anything they could grab their little hands on. It were mostly the street kids that turned out to be huge problems later on life. Kaz knew all too well. Though, he had to say that he wasn't that big of a problem, right? He wasn't a menace to society, he didn't terrorize the streets and formed gangs to bully people. No, he was a delicate, young man who just saw a whole in the market and tried to make the best of it. Sure, his job wasn't really an honest one and he probably wasn't really liked or a hero from the people, far from that, but he just lived day by day. He was nice to people, he helped them get rid of the belongings he knew they secretly didn't need anyway and meanwhile had a nice little life on his own. It might not be peaceful, but Kaz could manage and on days like these he was glad he didn't have a boring 9 to 5 job which was the same every day.
Zanna was smart. She knew that if someone offered something, they mostly wanted something in return. Kaz didn't blame her. If you grew up on the streets, it was probably the best to second guess yourself and to always be skeptical of people. Kaz shrugged slightly. ''Not much for now.'' He started, looking at her directly, his face a bit more serious. ''Just that you help me from time to time with a job. You already have shown a lot of potential. I can make sure you learn the tricks of the trade as well as I know them.'' He smiled, his eyebrows a bit raised, hoping his offer would be enough. She was just a child, but later she could be so much more, given the right push into the right direction.

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Her innocence could also mean that she had no idea what she was getting herself into. He could do whatever he liked with her and in the end leaver her where she belonged. He just wasn't sure where that was yet. But for now, there was so much to be discovered, so much to learn, for the both of them. Kaz knew that whatever he was doing now, would bite him in the ass eventually. Kids could change their minds so easily, so he had to be careful. He couldn't invest too much in her, yet. Kaz had the time and the patience and he would make sure this would become his masterpiece. Children learned so much faster and had to ability to remember most of it. Unlike some other.. almost adults. The thought of Daniel compared to Zanna almost made him laugh. She already seemed so much better. Sh just had to grow up and this would be all he needed.
Kaz smiled broadly this time, almost flashing his teeth, opening his hand for a shake. ''I will make sure none of that will ever happen to you. You stick with me and you'll be safe.'' He spoke with honesty, for once. Even though his intentions in the end, weren't the purest, he somewhere wanted to protect this girl from the dangers these streets could hold. Where did this sudden brotherly instinct come from? Was it because of Georgie? Because Kaz felt he had come short on caring for someone? No, get that thought of your damn head. This was to be an investment, not self pity. Focus Kaz and for once, think positively, how hard that even might be.

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She shook his hand a bit hesitantely and before she let go, Kaz made their grip a little more intense. ''But do know Zanna,'' he started, his eyes darkening for a moment, ''that if you even think of turning your back on me, your going to worry a lot more about other things than safety.'' Kaz meant it. He didn't like to be doublecrossed, no matter if he had done it before. Call it hypocritical, Kaz knew very well what people could be up to these days. They were untrustworthy, rude and would flee as soon as they smelled danger. He had been one of those people, he knew very well how he started out, but that didn't mean he wasn't prepared for the people who would do the exact same. He let go of her hand, his dark look disappearing.
Kaz noticed the tired look on her face, this girl must've been awake for quite some time now. ''I'm renting a room not far from here, we can go there if you want to rest.'' He said with a soft tone. He got up, glad to be finally free of that painful position he was in, eventhough it just had been a couple of minutes. The tug at his hand came as a surprise and Kaz followed Zanna's eyes. The family, the carelessness, the oppertunity. So young and already so aware of her surroundings. Kaz smiled mischievously and nodded. ''Show me what you've got.'' Was his answer at her tug, motivating her to try. He had only seen her from a distance and even then he wasn't really paying attention since he was concentrated on forming up a plan himself. Now was a great chance and Kaz was eager to see.