Keani meandered through the crowd, searching for a good target--which could be difficult here. There was no use stealing from people who probably had nothing themselves, and this wasn't even his typical hunting ground. Still, he needed to pass through here to get to the marketplace proper, and if he got lucky he might earn a little along the way.
It was when he shouldered through the crowd that he saw her. The perfect hit. She didn't look like she belonged, with her pretty clothes, clean skin, and shiny hair (quite unlike his patched clothes, unwashed hair, and dust-coated body) and the way she gawked and moved said she was lost, that she knew she didn't belong, either.
Perfect. Lost, unfamiliar, utterly oblivious of her surroundings, and--if looks were anything to go off of--wealthy. Keani moved with the crowd and watched her from the corner of his eye so as not to draw attention to himself, planning his move and sighting her coin purse. Stupid, too, not knowing that she should hide it. Well, today she would learn a valuable lesson, wouldn't she? Wasn't like it wasn't a lesson she couldn't afford.
Finally, he started for her and acted like he wasn't paying attention to her, but he had drawn a small, sharp knife so he could cut her purse strings, half hidden up his sleeve and concealed by his hand.
It would have been a clean steal, a beautifully no-hassle affair. It would have been one of the easiest jobs in his life. He brushed by her, flicked the knife out, made the cut, and grabbed the purse--
Right as someone rushed by his other side, roughly bumping shoulders.
It all happened so fast, far too fast for Keani to recover. It threw him off balance and pitched him against the girl, and with a yelp and some helpless flailing in a last-ditch effort to save himself, they both went toppling to the cobblestone street, Keani landing hard on top of the girl.
...And the knife and coin purse falling from his hand to clatter across the ground.
