Lusec bit into a juicy red fruit as she surveyed the crowd of the most resent Gather at Turasake Hold. Venders yelled out their sales pitches to the crowd, and runnerbeasts whinnied, while herdbeasts rattled any chains that might be keeping them in place. This brown-eyed girl only mildly registered these factors. What she truly noticed was the exchange of money between buyers and the venders. Marks ranging from one fourth to even five whole marks. Lusec grinned at this, sure stealing a red fruit had it's benefits but stealing marks would make her feel better; she'd buy the food then.

She flipped her shoulder length natural white hair out of her right eye revealing a bad scorch mark obviously made by thread. Oddly she could still see fine out of the eye. When the young woman had been thrown out of her hold at sixteen turns for being caught stealing she was unlucky enough to be caught in Thread fall a few days later, during one of the freak unexpected falls. Luckily for Lusec, she had been in a pool of water at the time having seen the leading edge coming towards her only minutes before. She had dunk her head under water and killed the Thread before swimming for cover under a rock ledge.

She was now 18 turns old and knew how to live being holdless. In the same time she'd learned to steal with much more ease and grace. She could usually steal a large sum of marks without a person knowing until they made a purchase ten minutes later. By then she'd be long gone and they most likely wouldn't realize that she'd been the culprit. It was a rare occurrence, but sometimes the person she'd picked the pocket of would realize it was done moments later. Even rarer was when the person realized it was her; that was when her fairly long frame would come in handy.

An adult bronze fire lizard silently landed on Lusec's shoulder. A smug smile appeared on her features.

"Find any good dim glows to target, Fithos?" she asked, holding out a hand to receive what ever the bronze might have stolen. She'd trained him well in the area since the day he hatched.

Fithos was originally supposed to be a gift from her hold when she was known as a mentionable student by the harper. Yet when she was caught in the act of stealing they took back the egg. Furious, Lusec snuck back into the hold and stole the egg as her farewell to her hold. A few days later Fithos was hatched.

The bright bronze dropped a few small objects into his mistress' hand; an eighth mark piece, a jeweled chess piece, and a whole harper hall mark. Lusec looked at her bronze fire lizard sternly as she rolled the chess piece between her fingers.

"Fithos, how many times have I told you only steal marks," she chided him, "I have enough morals these days to pay for things at least." Fithos chirped in protest about the red fruit the woman held in her hand, "That's different, you weren't back soon enough and there weren't enough people to pick pockets off to get the money for it." The bronze trilled at her and she rubbed his head.

"Let's go and hope we don't run into anybody we know around this area," Lusec mumbled. The young woman had in the past teamed up with other holdless people to get better money and food. Yet, after an incident where her partners had stolen all that was left of a families food she stole the goods back and secretly got them back to the family without either sides knowing. Least the original stealers didn't know until they found Lusec was gone and so was their loot. She now had a slight price on her head.

Lusec walked through the crowd like any other Gather guest with one slight difference; her eyes were moving rapidly. Never did they stay still for very long. She was looking for her enemies as well as likely targets. As she'd walk through the crowd she'd brush by people and take their small purses of marks. As she passed a bubbly pie stand her stomach growled loudly as her hand was reaching for another pocket to pick. To Lusec's surprise and slight horror the man that she was about to steal from turned and raised an eyebrow at her.

"You sound pretty hungry, girl," he told her turning fully to her. Lusec's eyes grew wide and Fithos squawked loudly. On the shoulder of the man were the knots of a dragonrider, a bronze dragonrider at that. And not just any bronzerider, but a Weyrleader. Play it cool girl, she thought as she got a better look at his badge and identified him as the Weyrleader of Aden Weyr.

"Uh, yes, Weyrleader," she told him respectfully. He bought a pie and motioned her to follow him. Lusec blinked how very odd for him to invite her to follow him... he wasn't that type of guy was he? The young woman went on guard but didn't dare not following him. The Weyrleader led her to one of the tents and sat down.

"Help me eat this, Lusec," he told her. The woman stayed standing and a stern look appeared on her features.

"What do you want, Weyrleader," she asked evenly and in a commanding voice. For a moment the Weyrleader looked confused then chuckled.

"I keep on forgetting that's my title now since my Tidith flew Anissimoth," he commented and then took a piece of the pie and bit into it. Seeing that Lusec wasn't sitting down he talked as he looked down at the pie, "I suggest you sit down and eat with me before I'm tempted to call one of the wardens of the hold and tell him of your pick pocketing." Lusec looked about and found that there were ample enough wardens around that the young Weyrleader could back up his words. With slight annoyance, she sat down roughly and took the slice of pie offered to her. She surpressed a snarl as the Weyrleader smiled at her cheekily.

"So speak up, bronzerider, I haven't got all day ya' know," she growled while some how looking civil and sensible.

"Oh don't be such a wher," he chuckled, "I'm Iz'tak, bronze Tidith's rider and Aden Weyr's Weyrleader."

"Get to the point, Iz'tak, how do you plan to punish me without proof," she snapped irritably, she never liked being held to wait for a person's answer. Before she'd been thrown out of her hold people had said she'd be one who could lead people given the chance. Iz'tak chuckled once again.

"Well, I don't totally need proof, considering Tidith says that you seem to be holdless," he smiled, saying it in a gentle way so as not to injure the thief's pride, "I'll merely have Tidith take you between to Aden. I'm sure the Headwoman can keep you busy enough with your hands that they won't search out other items. Then you can just wait until one of our searchriders finds you fit to stand on the sands."

Lusec blinked in disbelief, he was offering her safety from thread back at Aden Weyr, even if he knew she was a thief. Her humor turned better at this and she put her booted feet up on the table. With one fluent motion she tossed something at the Weyrleader. He caught it and stared at it in slight astonishment.

"You'll have to keep me pretty busy, Weyrleader," she chuckled, "if I can do that while eating a bubbly pie think of what I can do around a weyr."

"I think we'll take our chances," he smiled, "I doubt you'd be able to steal the queen egg that's on the sands without getting killed by the dam." The statement caused Lusec's grin to fall off her features, Iz'tak merely ignored this, "So do you except my offer?"

Lusec smiled once again in her smug way. "Who would pass up the opportunity to possibly get searched by a weyr."

"Someone who fears dragons," Iz'tak joked. Lusec chuckled and put one finger up in a silent gesture of "good point" before finally speaking.

"'Course I'll come along, thievery was getting boring anyway," she smirked once again, "Not that we won't stop it though, eh Fithos." The bronze chirped in agreement causing the Weyrleader to laugh. Iz'tak shook his head still chuckling minutes later.

"Would you like to leave for Aden now, Lusec?" he finally asked after controlling himself enough to just smile so that his dimples showed.

"We best go now, Weyrleader," she told him looking about in a casual way, "the wardens are starting to get wind of a pick pocket roaming about and I fear one of my enemies may be about looking for me as well."

"Stay close then," Iz'tak told her, "Tidith will meet us in the middle of the Gather Fields."

A mop of greasy hair bobbed about the crowd coming closer to the tents. Lusec blinked, the greasy black hair was still there, looming ever closer.

"Shards!" she cursed and looked at the Weyrleader, "We must go now, Iz'tak. My former associate is already on my trail not two dragonlengths from here." Iz'tak nodded and took a hold of Lusec's wrist and led her in the opposite direction of the greased head of hair. Taking a weaving course the two made their way to the bronze that loomed overhead.

"There's the thief, warden!" a familiar voice came from behind her. Lusec turned calmly towards the voice now that she had Tidith behind her and Iz'tak to command him should the need arise.

"What's this all about, sir?" Lusec asked making her features look convincingly confused.

"Sorry, ma'am, but this gentalmen says he saw you stealing a persons marks only a little while ago." the warden with the grease ball of a man told her.

"That's an insult sir," Lusec growled pushing her old associate in slight rage, "I think it's more likely you are the one stealing and just trying to blame it on me!"

"No offence..."

"Lusec."

"Uh, yes, Lusec," the Warden continued sheepishly, "I hate to do this but I must search you to make sure it's not true." Lusec looked hard at the Warden and then at her enemy.

"Go ahead, Warden," she growled in annoyance, "I know it's your duty to your Hold but should you trying anything you'll never have another child should you already have any." The warden looked a bit uneasy at this statement and made a quick check of Lusec. Nothing was found.

"I told you I didn't steal a thing," Lusec scowled, "you should check your tipster next, he probably did it to blame me."

"I have nothing to hide," he grunted but took a nervous look at Lusec. What had she done with the money? He could have sworn she'd taken from at least five people that day! The Warden complied with Lusec's annoyed yet logical argument. Going over the other man's vest he quickly found three small bags of marks, all with different stamps of halls and hold on them.

"If you'll come with me, sir," the warden told the man in disgusted voice. Choose words were made by Lusec's former partner causing the young woman to chuckle at the same time as wincing.

"Does he use those words around his parents?" Iz'tak chuckled. Lusec nodded as the Weyrleader mounted his bronze. With some help from both the bronzes arm and as well as the Weyrleader's, she mounted the bronze quickly.

"You steal runnerbeast too?" he asked.

"On occasion," she grinned, "But only to get away, I rarely kept the beasts."

Iz'tak shook his head, he could only hope that she'd be a better person at the Weyr. With a sigh he gave Tidith a mental signal to take off. With a quick run and a strong leap the bronze was into the air, and quickly started to talk to Lusec for his rider. Hello, Lusec. I am to inform you that we'll be going between when we circle the hold for a second time. You know you seem like Can... Alright Iz'tak, I'll wait for one of the others to check her. Lusec frowned. Check her, what did that mean?

Before Lusec could question the bronze they circled the hold for the second time and disappeared between. Never being a dragonback before nor between Lusec was shocked by the coldness of it all. So shocked was she that she had no real chance to even think of screaming. Three counts later the bright sun that shown down on Aden Weyr hit her in the eyes. Man, that's bright! Lusec winced. You did well for your first time between. A majority panic if not give the sense of screaming. Lusec chuckled at Tidith's words and looked down at what would be her new home for who knew how long... probably until she lost control of her urge to steal things, then she'd be kicked out once again.

They landed minutes laughter and Tidith seemed to trumpet happily at a blue near by. The blue dragon walked over as Iz'tak and Lusec dismounted. The next thing the teen knew the blue's snout was mere inches from her nose. For a moment she was startled, and then looked back at the blue in mock-annoyance though a smile crept onto her features. She'd always admired dragonic kind, fire lizards, dragons, even at times watch-whers.

"Am I that interesting, ya' big blue lug?" she asked in a teasing way and the blue's eyes almost seemed to chuckle at the joke with their blue and green tinges. Iz'tak chuckled behind her and the thief turned around tilting her head in question.

"... You don't say, Tidith," he mumble and then smiled as he found Lusec looking at him in an odd way, "It seems Halanth has given his approval of Tidith's choose. Rare thing for a bronze to find a candidate that the search dragon agrees with."

"You mean that's it? I was supposed to be here for a time 'till a searchdragon found me acceptable and this blue did it with in seconds of my arrival?" she asked in total surprise.

"Seems so," Iz'tak smiled, "Of course that means you'll be standing for the clutch my Tidith just sired. Com'on, I'll show you to the candidates barracks and then I'll introduce you to Weyrwoman Bretta and the Headwoman; you'll have to work honestly, you know."

Lusec nodded with a smile, "With the chance to see a hatching, or better yet to have the chance to impress, I'll work hard at it!" Iz'tak chuckled, she was like all candidates at first when they were told they were searched. She'd soon find that even for a seasoned thief being a candidate would not be all fun and games.