Nicholas rode astride a black horse, chasing after a luxurious carriage. He hated it. Nicholas had never been good with animals, for whatever reason. It was like they could stare into him and see all his past deeds, knowing exactly who he was, and despise him after a glance. This horse in particular, however, seemed to enjoy toying with the thief's life, bucking and leaning at every opportunity. It probably wasn't too happy about being taken by force and led away from his master and stable. Still, Nicholas pushed forward toward the carriage, swearing he'd kill the beast after the job and sell the meat.
Earlier that week, he had gotten home from a day of thievery, taking the time to make sure no-one followed him, and warped through the foundation that sat under a nondescript old tavern. One great thing about warping abilities is that one can build their home anywhere, and barely anyone else can even enter, much less guess where it is. Nicholas had just emptied out his coat, full of things to sell to the market in a few days time, when he saw a peculiar note hanging out of the gap between two floorboards. In a peculiar, and quite archaic style of writing, it asked for the theft of a magic ring from a black carriage, and offered pay that even Nicholas was quite aroused by. Although the message had no signature, and offered very little detail on the target or object, money was money, and Nicholas was there.
Nicholas had never taken big jobs, always opting to earn his riches through mass pickpocketing. On a good day, this could earn him over four thousand dollars, and so he had no need for consorting with the rest of the criminal underworld and taking on "Professional" jobs. Professional, he thought, what bullshit! As far as Nicholas was concerned, he'd never worked a day in his life, a feat he was quite proud of. But when that note came through, he just couldn't resist the temptation. Despite seeing no reason to believe the note was genuine, it was obvious that whoever it was who commissioned it knew where his hideout was, and could access it without leaving any sign of his presence. It seems this man is not to be trifled with.
As he rode closer, Nicholas could see that this was a very luxurious carriage indeed. Despite all of the bumping and tossing, he could make out a distinct sheen that implied heavy dosages of lacquer, one of which was obviously applied quite recently, and had not had time to fully dry out. The polished windows were adorned with bright red curtains, perhaps made of some fine velvet. Clearly, whoever carried this magical ring was a man of high status! This would make it all the more enjoyable. As his head swung to the right after another violent jerk from the midnight beast, Nicholas noticed another horse, and another rider atop it, speeding toward the carriage ahead. No doubt some highwayman who spotted the carriage and decided it would be an easy target for a hold-up. Well, he can take what he wants, after I'm done with it! Nicholas spurred his horse as best he could, and rode forward.