The Long Road to Ruin Ch. 04

She threw back the blankets and set her feet onto the floor. A shiver coursed through her as the balls of her feet missed the thick rug and hit the cold stone. She scooted them up and pushed herself up to stand. Moving to her armoire, she opened it and viewed the clothing inside. It was full of her kitchen girl clothes and the outfit she'd made herself. Nothing in there was appropriate to visit Master Gaston. She tapped her foot as she thought for a few seconds. She needed a fairly nice pretty dress.

A smile crossed her face as she recalled Chella telling her she could borrow her daughter's dress if she needed something fancy. She quickly dashed into Chella's room and opened her armoire. She pulled out the long purple dress and held it up against herself. With a giggle, she pulled it on over her head and twirled around in front of the mirror. Yes, it would do nicely.

Then she brushed her long blonde hair out until it shone with a luminous luster. There, she looked very pretty indeed. Now if only she had a few cosmetics. As soon as she earned a few extra coins, she swore she would purchase what she needed. Enhancing her beauty would prove beneficial to her in the long run.

Then she left her bedroom and headed over to one of the tables. Chella had set out for her a breakfast plate. Shiloh felt famished. She sat down and devoured everything on the plate with alacrity. Yummy! A full belly! Then she turned to Chella.

"How do I look?" Shiloh asked, twirling about.

"You don't look like a beggar to me, Shiloh." Chella winked at her.

"I'm working on that, Chella. Yesterday I went down to the harbor and found a beggar and he had the nerve to ask me to pay him 50 gold pieces for his filthy clothes! He had the sheer audacity to suggest I sell myself to the sailors to raise his money! Can you believe that?!?!" Shiloh exclaimed, rather perturbed.

"You stay away from the sailors, little Shiloh." Chella cautioned her, as she raised her eyebrow.

"So I'm going to go to Master Gaston's. I remember hearing quite a bit about him from the noble ladies who visited with my mother. I believe if I act like a snooty noble girl, I can convince him to make me the required outfit. Don't give me that look, Chella. I will not tell him who I am. I figured I'd say I'm from Dhorn." Shiloh smiled at her. "But I am confident I can get what I need. I hope you don't mind me borrowing your daughter's dress."

"That is a good idea, my sweet child, and no, as long as you return it, I do not mind." Chella smiled back at her. "You are very pretty, Shiloh."

Shiloh beamed at her. "I had best be off. Thank you for the breakfast. It was quite delicious." She bounded off out of the kitchen and nearly smacked into Caron. He grabbed hold of her firmly, keeping her from falling down.

"Hey, Caron!" She beamed her most winning smile at him. "Thank you!"

He held her firmly within his arms. "My pleasure, sweetie."

"What brings you here this early?"

"Well, Chella asked me to take stock of the things that are in these crates out here. It would seem that no one knows what we keep in there." He wrapped his arms tightly around her back with a wide grin on his face.

Shiloh let out a soft sigh and rested her head against his shoulder. It felt so good to be held by him. She lingered there for a few long minutes then gazed longingly up into his eyes. "And did you find anything interesting?"

He chuckled and released her as he felt his manhood swell within his trousers. "Yesterday while you were out and about I found some girl's lingerie. Uh, you're not missing any panties, by chance, are you?"

"They probably belong to Trissa. It's where she hides the ones she's soiled after her many trips behind the crates," she quipped. "Besides, I never wear them. I told you I have no use for them."

She watched Caron's face contort first with disgust at the mention of Trissa's many trips behind the crates and then with delight at the mention of no panties. "Riiiiiight! I forgot about that, you naughty girl!"

Shiloh giggled. "Anything else interesting?"

"Not really." He shook his head and released her from his embrace.

She slowly ran her hand down his chest. "Do you think we could spend some alone time together tomorrow? Perhaps you could help me with one of my lessons? I have to learn stealth. I tried to sneak around the harbor yesterday and some scoundrel caught me and stole what little money I had," she pouted as she batted her lashes at him.

A dark scowl crossed his face. "Someone stole from you? Who? Where were you?"

"It was in a dark alley to the north of the Isle of Men. Chella gave me four gold pieces yesterday afternoon and now it's all gone. He stole it from me." Tears welled in her eyes and blinked them back while looking up at him quite miserably.

"I'll get your money back, sweetie. Never fear, Caron will take care of it," he brushed her tears away.

Shiloh nodded up at him. "And what about the alone time together?" she persisted.

"I really want to."

She flashed a watery smile up at him. "I'll remember that. I'll ask you again tomorrow."

"You do that. So, do you have any news concerning your lessons?"

"Not yet. I have only just begun to work on them. I'll tell you about it later. I should really go now. Thank you for being here for me. I really needed a shoulder to cry on."

"Mine are always here at your command."

Shiloh planted a soft kiss on his cheek then turned to walk away. She smiled at Nelina and looked back over her shoulder at Caron, winking at him.

"Did I tell you that you look beautiful in that dress?" he called out, turning his attention back to the crates.

She blew him a kiss and bounded down the stairs to the restaurant floor and headed to the door. She skipped along as she left the Bear Pit heading up to Master Gaston's Tailor Shop. It only took her minutes to reach her destination. She opened the door and stepped into the immaculate shop. She straightened her back and put on an air of importance about herself.

"Good day, my good sir," Shiloh greeted him rather haughtily.

Gaston raised an eyebrow at her. "What can I do for you?"

"Are you Master Gaston?"

"The one and only."

"Ah, I am looking to purchase a very special outfit. Perhaps you can be of service to me. I have heard so many good things about you that I had to come and see if it all was true. I am Lady Belara, formerly of Dhorn." Shiloh ad-libbed quickly.

"You have come to the right place, M'lady. Feel free to have a look around. Perhaps you will find what you are looking for." Gaston replied as he looked her over from head to toe.

"Oh no, my good man. I am looking for something truly special."

"Oh, and what would that be?" He asked as he cocked an eyebrow once more.

"You may think me silly, but I wish to procure a beggar's outfit!" Shiloh giggled mirthfully.

"What?! Do you mean to insult me?"

"Nay, sir! Never would I do that, my good sir. I told you it was silly, but I need it for a costume ball. It will be the first real bit of entertainment that I have had since I came to this wretched place! It is said that you are the best, good sir. And I simply must have it. We nobles are throwing this ball and wearing costumes to resemble the common folk. Why, my dear Trissa wanted to dress up like a common whore. If you make my costume and the other ladies and their mothers like it, I am sure you will be in for an influx of customers. Surely you are not so busy that you can not see to my needs," Shiloh poured on the charm as thickly as she could, hoping to persuade him.

"And here I thought the Dhorn did not tolerate fancy clothes," Gaston scoffed at her.

"All women love fancy clothes, my good sir, whether our men tolerate it or not. Now will you be able to help me?"

"Hm," Gaston scratched his chin. "I shall require a model to create the costume for you."

"What about me? After all, you'll want it to fit me." She flashed her most winning smile at him and preened before him.

"You? Hm..." He studied her face, turning Shiloh's head to the side and studied her critically, much like a horse dealer would study a horse. "Looking at you more closely, that might actually do, M'lady."

She waited patiently, allowing him to look her over.

"Tell me again, what sort of costume you require?"

"A beggar's costume," Shiloh replied, as she wrinkled her nose as if she smelled something rather foul.

"I see. Well, you shall have it then. We shall use only the finest silks and velvets of course."

Shiloh smiled at him while thinking to herself. I hope Chella won't mind silken beggar clothes...

"Regarding my payment. If you do the modeling, you shall receive the first exemplar for free. But I shall keep the patterns and create similar outfits for the other highborn ladies in the city." Gaston replied.

Shiloh pictured all the fine ladies in the city walking around in rags and giggled to herself. "Thank you, my good kind sir. I shall send all the highborn ladies I know to you. Perhaps I can garner you an invitation to our ball. I have heard the Dhorn Governor will be in attendance and has consented to allow us to hold the ball at the castle."

"The castle. Ah, I see. There was a time when invitations to the castle were relished." Gaston pulled out a measuring tape and other accoutrements that he would need. "Now stand still! I shall need to calculate the amount of fabrics."

Shiloh held her hands up and let him do his business. A good amount of time passed while he inspected the curves of her body very thoroughly.

"Alright, all finished now. It will take me a while to sew the costume. Please return on the morrow and I shall have it ready for you."

"I shall, thank you, my good sir." Shiloh nodded gracefully and exited the shop with all the haughtiness she could muster.

She waited until she was out of the shop and out of earshot of the tailor to exclaim her joy merrily. She had pulled the act off and had managed to convince him to make her the costume without having to pay for it. She wondered if Chella would be proud of her.

She stopped as she got close to the marketplace and looked over her notes. One of the teachers that Master Nathan had assigned to her was in the marketplace...a trader named Yance. She smiled and decided to try to find him. Stopping at the first merchant she saw, she flashed a bright smile.

"Can you help me?" She asked the blond haired man standing before a stand of what looked like vials of dye.

"Yes, lovely girl, what can I do for you?"

"I am new to the city and I was instructed to come to the marketplace. I am to ask for a Master Yance. Could you direct me to him, please? My mistress will be quite unhappy if I do not bring her what she wishes."

"Yance? Oh...let me see...ah yes...he is the dark haired vegetable merchant back there near the canal channel," he replied, motioning to the next row behind him.

Shiloh curtsied before him. "Thank you, kind sir." She dashed away, heading for Yance's booth.

Shiloh approached him, a smile plastered to her face. "Greetings. Are you Master Yance?"

"That I am, yes. And who wants to know?" Yance eyed her expectantly.

"I'm Shiloh. Master Nathan told me to look you up. He said you'd teach me something?"

"You?" He eyed her critically.

"Well, yes. Can you tell me what my lesson is about? What kind of business are you in?"

Yance grinned and lowered his voice, motioning for her to step closer to him. "Pick pocketing and thievery. But you have to figure out the basics yourself. If you want to be a really good pickpocket you have to start early. Best at an age of three or four."

Shiloh pulled a face. "I'll think of it next time I'm three years old. Now, can you teach me?"

"You've got experience with putting your fingers where they don't belong?"

"You bet!"

"I'm speaking of pick pocketing, coozie."

"So am I!" Shiloh replied, scowling at him.

"So?"

"I have some basic knowledge of stealing," Shiloh told him, remembering how she and Caron had practiced.

"Very well. Show me. I've got a ring in my pockets. Get it, and it's yours."

Shiloh grinned at him and faded into the bustling crowd heading towards Yance's stall. She sneaked around him and snaked her hand into the pocket he had indicated, trying her hardest not to get caught. She palmed the ring and pulled back from him, slipping it on her finger before reappearing before him. She cleared her voice and he looked up at her.

"I said get my ring from my pocket, girl," he hissed at her with a lowered voice.

She stifled a giggle, holding the ring hand up in front of her mouth, displaying the ring proudly. "It's right here."

He nodded at her. "Good. Keep it."

"Thank you."

He inclined his head at her. "The problem you'll face when you're sent on a thievery mission is that most people won't be amused to find your fingers in their pockets. If you're caught, run away, hide behind a corner, and try again. Sometimes you may also have to steal from somebody who'd attack you on sight. So it's a good idea to learn how to be stealthy. You did a fairly good job of that. You used the crowd of people to your advantage."

Shiloh beamed at him.

"This is Timmy. He works for the family too. He's really good at pick pocketing."

"Hello Timmy!"

Timmy smiled a cute childish smile at Shiloh. "Hello Miss!"

"He just passed his final test. He has placed three different rings on three different people in the city without their knowledge. A copper, a silver, and a steel one. Your task is to bring me these three rings."

"And where will I find these people?"

"The first ring is on a dark skinned sailor at the harbor in South Betancuria. Careful. These guys are rough with pickpockets. For the two other rings, check out #5 Castle Street in Northern Betancuria and #23 Knight's Street in Western Betancuria. Got it all?"

"Yes, I do."

"Good luck then girl."

Shiloh nodded at him and quickly walked away. She didn't relish the thought of going back down to the docks today. Though, she figured she may see Rhys. Perhaps she would try the other two places first. The one on Castle Street was nearby, but she'd never broken into a house before. She wasn't sure she'd know how. Perhaps she should ask Caron to show her more about picking locks. Yes, that was a definite!

She headed back through the marketplace and noticed the sign for Hatori's Tea Shop. Master Nathan had told her to go there for a fighting lesson, though she couldn't figure out why he'd send her to a tea shop for that. She shrugged her shoulders and headed for the door. Then she looked down at what she was wearing. She knew she couldn't learn to fight in Chella's daughter's dress. It could get damaged and then Chella would get mad at her. Shiloh certainly didn't want that.

So instead, she headed to the harbor, intent on finding Rhys. Perhaps she could talk him into a midday lesson. Or perhaps she could procure the ring she needed from the dark skinned sailor. A bright blush crossed her face as she considered asking Rhys to invite her target along for some fun.

Shiloh came upon Rhys on the western end of the docks, loading some crates into a good sized ship. She sneaked up towards from and crouched near a towering stack. She eyed him intently. His shirt had been removed, leaving bare his chest. She watched his muscles rippling as he lifted and flexed. He was a beautiful sight to behold. She drank the sight of him in quite hungrily and hoped he would have some time for her today. She had immensely enjoyed their lesson the night before and now she wanted more.

Poking her head around the crates, she picked up a small piece of the chipped cobblestone and threw it at him. It hit the back of his shoulder. He winced and turned around, his brow furrowing as he tried to determine where it came from.

Then Shiloh whistled at him and tossed a second fragment at him. He frowned at her as he noticed her.

Stalking toward her, he grabbed hold of her arm and pulled, nearly dragging, her behind one of the dockhouses. "What do you want?" He pushed her against the brick wall.

"What do you think I want?" Shiloh purred as she ran her hand down his wet chest.

Rhys cracked a smile. "Can't get enough, eh?"

She shook her head and looped her arms around his neck, "Of you? Not nearly enough. You were wonderful. I admit that I haven't been able to think of anything else. Teach me something fun. Please, Rhys."

"I think I have some time to spare. Anything in particular you want?"

Shiloh pressed herself flush against him and whispered her desires in his ear. He pulled back and cocked an eyebrow at her. "I thought I told you to stay away from the others down here until you've learned something."

"I know, but Rhys, I can't help it. I heard two women talking about that...at the beauty parlor, about bedding two men at once. I was curious. Is that bad? Plus he is quite attractive."

"If it is what you desire, I'll see what I can do. Go ahead to the dockhouse. Use the back entrance and try not to be seen by the Dhorn Patrol," Rhys ordered as he peeled her off of his body. He walked away, whistling. He quickly finished loading the crates and whistled to the dark skinned sailor who was nearby. He motioned in the direction of the dockhouse. The other man cocked an eyebrow, but followed Rhys anyway.

"This had better be good," The dark one stated as a scowl graced his face.

"It is. There's a hot little piece in the dockhouse who wants to fuck you. She's new, very tight, and more than willing to please," Rhys embellished as he headed to the dockhouse. "Coming?"

The dark one guffawed and hustled to the door, "I will be!!"

O.O