Board Thread:Roleplay/@comment-27550231-20200125011422/@comment-28358106-20200323021846

Miles away, an abandoned den sits in the middle of the trackless woods. Pine rushes cover the nearly invisible entrance to mask the scents of its inhabitants. No light could be seen, nor voices heard, even at the den's entrance. The cold night air was perfectly still.

But the four robbers inside were warm and snug, if a little cramped. It wasn't without difficulty that Rose had gotten inside, but nobody pointed out that she took up nearly half the available space---it wasn't wise to rile a Centauress in close quarters. Despite this, they each had enough sprawling room to sit in a wide circle, and a bangle-sized ring of gold sat upon a stone in the middle of them all. A hand-sized flame flickered from the ring, giving ample light and heat without fuel, operating on the pure magic of its construction. Dorian was glad he had it. Or rather, that he had won it in a game of spalder years ago.

By its light he had sorted the coinage of the haul and counted it all. Now he was going through the articles of jewelry, one by one, testing them, checking their authenticity, gauging their value.

He had already eaten. The others, however, were finishing up---or at least, slowing down.

"Oohhh, gods..." Rose murmured, letting out a satisfied sigh, rolling sideways and leaning against the rock wall. "Vegetables. Real bloody vegetables.  Carrots!  An' th' fruit, by gods...fuck me..." She placed a hand on her torso and closed her eyes.

Bailey grunted agreement as she chewed a strip of jerked beef. She was already in a light mood, having scouted the den the day before and riding high on the praise of the others. Now, full of her first meal in three days, she huffed and sighed in contentment, sitting conspicuously close to Dorian as he went about his task.

Her arms crossed, Juno was already nodding off. The others had watched her eat like a ravenous animal, far more than one might expect of her slight frame. Bailey had pitied her, and had almost said something, but then thought the better of it. The ragged waif was having the first real rest in a fortnight and, as far as Bailey could tell, her first decent meal, too. Juno finally gave in, her head falling to her chest, her blonde locks tumbling.

The smokeless fire gave no noise, so it was with almost near silence that Dorian held up a piece for examination. A slim gold bracelet, wrought with obviously Elven skill, with small rubies along its length like drops of blood, sparkling with a life of their own in the firelight. He smiled, despite himself. This piece alone would fetch a good sum.

"...Mmm...Beautiful."