Thievery All Around

[Juno]

Ha! He'd gotten it! How easy. If this town continued to produce like this, he was going to be filthy rich in no time at all!

Fiddling with the gold bracelet he'd swiped from a visiting young noblewoman, Lucien grinned his pride. Puffing out his chest, he walked along the streets, getting further and further from the central area he'd stolen from, and eventually reached the packed dirt paths of the outskirts of town. There were trees here, less houses and buildings, and plenty of open spaces. Perfect for him, who only wished to bask in his glory right now as he admired the thing in his hand.

"Oh, so brilliant!" he praised himself, smugly putting the thing on his own wrist even though it was very obviously a lady's piece with its pearls and sparkling precious stone baubles. "This'll be a nice one, it'll fetch a good price!" he cheered quietly to himself as he strode along, a pond just off the path entering his peripheral vision.

[stelmarisa]

This hot summer weather was all very well, but it was hard on the scales. Ondina hummed to herself as she basked in the warm pond, mermaid tail waving lazily in the clear water. She looked like a classic mermaid today - translucent fins fluttering in the ripples, and her skin a cool, clear aqua. She was slightly annoyed at having to pause her journeying to re-hydrate - in this weather, she was in danger of becoming seriously ill if she didn't allow herself time to bathe occasionally. She had been on the way into Cerenis, hoping for a new conquest. It had been far too long since she had had amusing company, and even longer since she had gained anything from it.

With this last thought, she glanced down to the pearlescent beads that lay before her. It was a simple chain, cheap and gaudy, but the sheen on them would amuse her until she found something better, and she idly swirled the chain through the grass...

...Until a voice broke her reverie. She looked up quickly, sharp eyes spotting a figure swaggering before her. She smirked at his obvious self-pride, until a tell-tale glisten caught her eye. Hmmm... she mused, and smiled, properly this time. It was time to get to work!

Ondina rested her head on her hand, stretching out her body to allow the flowing lines of her torso and tail to be clearly seen. As the man came closer, she closed her eyes dreamily, assuming the look of a maiden gently dozing.

[Juno]

Stepping more into the light as he followed continued to follow the path, which swooped down toward the small body of water before angling back up to lead further away from Cerenis, the dark-haired man's eyes flickered away from his admiring at the sound of water gently lapping the shore. He caught sight of something, but not just any something.

With a soft glisten bouncing off her skin and scales in the bright, midday sun, it was hard to miss the mermaid laid out near the water's edge. Pausing, and stuffing his hands into his pockets in an attempt to hide his prize, Lucien stepped a bit closer. Peering down, his lips slowly began to upturn as he caught sight of shiny bits of the chain before her. Might get me as well while I'm at it...

She looked asleep, as far as he could tell, but she was magnificent all the same, holding a radiance he was sure only something like herself could. It was striking, to say the least. Figuring he could just continue on his way after this, Lucien stopped before her and reached out with with his unadorned hand to snatch at the chain on the ground.

[stelmarisa]

Ondina smiled to herself as she heard the man come closer and closer - until she realised what he was doing. Her eyes flashed open, yellow and cross.

"Hey! What do you think you're doing?" She demanded, slapping her hand down on her beads protectively. "That's mine!"

Pushing long, silver hair out of her face, she pulled herself up out of the water and glared at the stranger. How dare he try and take her pretties?! Now perched on the banks, she seized the chain and held it protectively to her chest.

"Explain yourself!"

[Juno]

And then she was awake. Oh...crap.

Jumping back a bit as her hand slammed down on the chain he'd been about to grab, Lucien's face flushed in his surprise. He quickly stuffed his hand back into his pocket as he stumbled back a bit. He'd been caught. How was he going to explain this away smoothly? His mind was racing as the creature screeched at him, demanding an answer he knew plain and simple was theft.

He didn't like seeing someone like her upset, no matter either of their intentions, and his brain racked to find something to say. "Ah..." His eyes flickered every which way, settling on anything but her eyes.

"Well, you see... I thought it'd maybe fallen off!" He finally made eye contact, holding a hard stare and willing his eyes nor his nervousness to not give him away. "I wanted to give it back, I didn't know if you'd see it there when you woke up!" Lies. Utter lies. As his eyes swept over her, though, scales, tail, and angry eyes all, he found he didn't want to flub up too badly; she was quite striking, beautiful, even.

[stelmarisa]

Ondina's eyes narrowed as this stranger - this theif stranger! - fumbled for an excuse, and seemed to look everywhere but at her. "It didn't fall." She said iciliy.

"But if you say so." She raised a thin eyebrow as she watched the stranger's eyes rove over her, and her lips involutarily smiled. Maybe it would be better to change her attitute. She wriggled further up onto the bank, tail turning slimmer and more streamlined, and felt her skin take on a faint, more pinkish hue. She smiled properly this time, and warmly, leaning in towards the stranger.

"How kind of you."

[Juno]

What? She believed it?! Gods, I'm saved!

Eyeing her, surprised for the changes that began to take place, he just nodded for a moment. Unsure of what to say, his silly smile told all of his nerves in this moment. Just what was she doing, exactly?! It was like she wasn't...a mermaid?! Blinking, thinking he might be losing it, he twisted his hands around in his pockets. She was still there, though, her skin changed, the tail disappearing. What was this?!

"Ah...heh, yeah...kind... Yup, that's me, so kind..." He was just getting himself deeper, he didn't need this!

"Ah, but, I guess I'll be on my way if you don't need my help, then," he said quickly, his hands finally retreating from his pockets, the bracelet flashing in the sunlight. "B-....Bye!!!" And with that he'd turned sharply on his heel, facing the direction he'd come only to realize he was wrong. Quickly trying to correct himself and turn the other way, he tripped up on his own feet, causing a blush to rise to his cheeks.

[stelmarisa]

Ondina grinned as the man fumbled with his words, eventually breaking into a soft laugh as he tripped. It wasn't malicious - but humans with their clumsiness always amused her! Tail melting entirely away, she stood up in (near) fully human form.

She stood tall today, and slim, the lines of her body maintaining their mermaid fluidity. She was covered only by a silken skirt, the fabric seeming shot through with all the colours of the rainbow. Now that she was up, her silver hair tumbled over her shoulders to her waist, studded with tiny, glittering beads.

Sighing, she bent towards the fallen stranger, offering a hand. "Are you alright?" she asked, eyes flashing mischeivously. "... need help getting up?"

[Juno]

In the dirt. That's what he was. Humiliated, he took his time getting up, ignoring the woman completely even as she offered help. When he turned to face her again, though, as he brushed off his clothes, his eyes widened in surprise. She was standing now! Her tail?! Where was it? How did she do that?!

Her hair was the same, her skin much more...pink. Human, almost. Just how had she done that?!

"Ah...thanks, but I'm fine now. Um...if you don't mind my asking..., what happened to your...uh, tail?!"

[stelmarisa]

She frowned as she got ignored - how rude! When she had actually wanted to help, as well. Never mind, it seemed like the man might be slightly... not all there! So far, all he had done was stutter and fall over. Thinking about this, Ondina softened slightly, and glanced down at herself as he asked about her new form.

"Oh! Well I'm not actually a mermaid, so to speak. So I can change between forms. I was just... rehydrating when you came along." As she spoke, her body continued forming, changing almost imperceptibly. She knew it would be reacting to him, moulding to fit what he found most attractive, and tried to ignore her changing shape.

"I like being human though. It's so much more... versatile" She smiled coyly.


((OOC: I don't know if imperceptibly is a word but I hope so! Also of course I have no idea what Lucien finds most attractive so feel free to godmod that! ;) ))

[Juno]

Ah, so she was one of those creatures.

It was intriguing to him, seeing her change before his eyes even still. "Rehydrating, hm? So you need to stay in water?" he guessed, eyes still on her as her body still refined itself. The smooth slope of her shoulder under that bright shirt of hers, her poised hands and delicate neck. It was almost as if she was too good to be true. Blinking, watching still as her features softened, her skin almost taking on a glow. He knew it would be soft if he touched it, but he didn't reach out. Eventually, he tore his eyes from her body and forced himself to hold eye contact.

"Ah, well you do seem very versatile... Are you a shifter or something?" he wondered, muscles relaxing as his eyes took one more sweeping look over her.

[stelmarisa]

"No, not all the time. But when it's as warm as this I try to make sure that I visit water quite regularly. It only needs to be for a little while, so I don't get ill." She answered simply, taking another step towards the man.

"Yes, versatile." She paused, her smile faltering ever so slightly. "I'm not really a shifter, I'm Melite." Would this mean anything to him? She paused before saying anything more, hoping he wouldn't understand - knowing too much about her race might give him insights as to her true intentions.

"A race of sea-creatures, but we can go between true Melite form to true human form as we like."

[Juno]

Melite? He'd never even heard of the race before, but he wasn't all that concerned with it. It meant so little to him right now. "Sea creatures. That's interesting. And...what's the use of being able to go between those two?" He paused, wondering if he'd ever met anything like her before, but he really couldn't recall if he had.

"What's the point, I guess?" he asked, finding himself unable to look away from her now. Strange.

[stelmarisa]

"The use?" She paused, then shrugged and laughed. "Well, who wants to be stuck under the sea all the time? And it just sort of happens naturally as we grow up."

"Personally, I like being on land the best. I can go to markets, buy and trade..." She smiled remembering her earlier acquisition of the beads, then fixed her eyes totally on the man's. "...And meet the most fascinating people."

[Juno]

Her laugh. Ah, it was nice to hear. Wait, why was he concerned with that? She was a stranger! Incredibly, almost unnaturally attractive to him, but still a stranger! Yet, he couldn't seem to react as such right now.

Her eyes bore into him, made him feel as if she inspected his very soul. Wait. He was Lucien! He was a thief! Clever, cunning, the sharpest devil around, and the ladies loved him! He shouldn't be getting clammed up like this! Or at least so easily by this woman's doings!

"Fascinating people, eh?" He flashed a more confident grin at her for this, daring to reach out, to brush her arm just slightly. "Am I one of those fascinating people? ...the name's Lucien, by the way. Lucien Lindauer," he practically purred.

[stelmarisa]

She smirked to herself. It was working, and she had an excellent feeling that this man was falling right into her trap. Bizarrely, she almost felt like her own techniques were working on her - she felt somewhat enchanted herself - but surely this man couldn't have such an effect on her! Ignoring the doubt, she reached up a graceful hand, touching him in a mirror of his own gesture, and ran long fingers down his arm.

"Of course you are," she murmured, batting her eyelashes. A cliche move, of course, but it tended to have the desired effect. "I'm Ondina. Dina, to the... fascinating people."

With that she swayed backwards an inch, inviting him to come forwards, towards her.

[Juno]

She dared to make reciprocal contact, but it was only boosting his ego further and feeling more like himself again. "Dina? What a beautiful name." He knew she was no fool, that she'd definitely heard this many times over, but he couldn't help offering the compliment again.

As she made the slightest of movements, though, he found his feet shuffling forward. Moving closer to her, it was as if he couldn't separate himself from her presence. Odd, that'd never happened before, but he wasn't complaining. "Has anyone ever told you how beautiful your eyes are, Dina?" he offered, staring her down with a knowing smirk. "Or your hair? It's absolutely stunning..." Lucien daringly reached a hand to slip by her waist, just trying to brush his fingertips to the long, silvery hair cascading down her back.

[stelmarisa]

Ahhh. A dance partner who knew his tango. Ondina could tell that this Lucien knew what he was doing as well as she lit, and her eyes lit up at the challenge. She was determined to 'win' this duel, although again she felt that strange tug of attraction. Weird - she was normally so detached from the process of seduction.

She grinned as her snaking-away act worked and the man shuffled forwards, into her waiting arms. As he reached out to touch her, she reached up one hand to cup his neck - seeming tender, but there was an energy emanating from her fingertips.

"You know what," she smirked. "I have heard that before, but it never hurts to be told it again." She shook her head slightly, sending the mirrored beads in her hair dancing. They jangled and shimmered, hitting against his fingers as he reached for her hair.

[Juno]

She was bold, too. He liked that. A lot.

Smirking as he saw her make a move, he practically grinned with self-pride as he felt her hand fall flush to the tender skin of his neck. Humming for the odd, but pleasant feeling he got from the contact, he absently touched the silky strands that made contact with his hand.

She knew what she was doing, he could tell that much. She was no coy lady. It was just as well, though, he liked a challenge.

The light clanging of the beads twisted about in her hair caught his attention, and he glanced down. Lucien knew they were definitely a bit too close, but he thought she was pretty and that was all the excuse he needed. Those are shiny... I bet she likes things like that... Jewelry, too...

"So, Dina." He brought his gaze back to her eyes, then, the bright color holding his attention just as much as the things they expressed to him. "Where exactly were you headed, hm?" Refusing to move away from her or shirk the touch of her hand, he knew he was being bold. But he liked it, he was having far too much fun with her.

[stelmarisa]

Ondina moved closer, enjoying this strange encounter. She was well aware of the situation between them now - two people well versed in seduction. The energy and pull between their respective skills held her captivated, and she pouted slightly as she watched him look her over.

"Well..." she spoke slowly and deliberately, choosing her words carefully. "I suppose, right now, I wouldn't mind a rest, perhaps... a little lie down." She widened her eyes. "Maybe I should find a room at an inn somewhere." She broke their intense gaze and looked around them, turning her whole body so that her hands and hips brushed against him.

"Do you know if there is one near? Where we-I could get a room?" She glanced back at him over her turned shoulder, flushing in mock embarassment at her all-too-deliberate blunder.