City of Thieves: Star of Destiny

"This is quite the fine city, is it not, miss?" Roya grinned at his charming passenger. "You would be hard pressed to find another city as grand as ours. The finest city in the world for sure."

"Hmm... I don't know about it being the finest city in the world..." The woman gave an uncomfortable sigh as she turned her gaze away, and rested her dainty little chin on the back of her slender, long gloved hand. "It's alright I guess." she conceded.

"Ah. I see. Well perhaps if you allow yourself time in this city, you might find it to be quite charming and unlike any other." The young man, undeterred by her indifference, beamed an enthusiastic smile, his not-so-pearly whites on full display. "We Mentanashiens are very welcoming to all who grace our city with their presence, especially a fine and lovely lady such as yourself."

"We'll see," the woman replied dryly and sighed again. She adjusted the brim of her hat to shade her face from the late afternoon sun, and probably to shield herself from the young man's gaze. "I would appreciate it if you could at least try to keep your eyes at a more gentlemanly level? Or is it Mentanashien custom for a man to so blatantly fix his gaze on a woman's chest and thighs all the time?"

"Oh! Uh! My apologies, miss!" The young man laughed awkwardly, red faced as his eyes darted around. He forced a friendly smile and a casual dismissive wave of his hand, "I meant nothing by it! Honest! Haha..."

"I'm sure..." The lady gazed coolly at Roya with her sharp, grey-blue eyes. Her plump lips curled into a disapproving pout. She crossed her delicate arms and her shapely legs. She then turned away to admire the architecture, as they drifted beneath a low bridge.

The gondolier briefly held his tongue. He couldn't help ogling the woman. He chanced glancing at the revealing side slit of her dress again, then at her fine articles of jewelry, but quickly averted his eyes before she could notice. He was embarrassed of course, but all the same, he judged the woman. She got mad when a man stared, yet she dressed so provocatively... unfair!

"Ahh... Miss? Forgive me for asking, but are you a noblewoman? It's just your fine clothes and jewelry... In these parts of the city, I worry that you might call on yourself unwanted atten--"

"Just keep rowing, please," the woman interrupted curtly. "Thank you."

"Y--yes, Miss... Excuse me..."

The young man rowed in silence. He stole another quick glance at the woman, who was completely ignoring him, and let out a sigh himself, defeated. The only sound aside from the city itself was the soft splashing of water as they passed.

"Here we are, Miss..." The young gondolier guided his craft carefully alongside the stone dock.

"Thank you." The woman smiled politely as she finally looked at him, acknowledging his existence now that she needed something. "Could you be a dear and help me up? Please?" She asked so sweetly in her soft voice, already offering her dainty hand, waiting.

"Of course, Miss," the gondolier replied, suppressing a mutter of indignation. He stepped onto the platform and carefully took her hand. His face turned red as he tried to keep his eyes off the magnificent angle of her cleavage as his beautiful customer leaned forward.

"Thank you, kind sir."

The lady gently smiled, reached into her cleavage, and pulled out a few golden thalars from a velvet pouch as payment.

Roya's eyes almost popped out on stalks, both at the amount she offered and at its hiding place. "N--no! Than--thank you for your patronage! Miss!" The blushing young man smiled back eagerly as he accepted her payment, the coins still carried the warmth of her body. Gods... he thought, even the way she smiles is divine...

"Hmmm." The dark blue-haired woman looked at him as if appraising the worth of his horny soul, before letting out another dazzling smile. She flipped her hair back with a casual, yet graceful motion of her arm. "A pleasure," she said. "Well. Have a blessed day."

"You too, Miss!" the young man called out with enthusiasm as the woman walked away. He still couldn't keep her eyes off her as she strutted off with a feminine gait, round hips swaying naturally with each confident and balanced step.

She did not look back once, which made Roya strangely disappointed, as she moved out of sight. He listened to the rhythmic clack of her heeled boots hitting the ground growing quieter until it disappeared into the noise of the city.

If he didn't know better, Roya the gondolier would've believed the woman to be a goddess, or a dangerously charming witch, just by how perfect and utterly enchanting she was. As it was, he found that notion ridiculous. Witches didn't come into the city... Did they?

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Special thanks to Winter_Fare. You're awesome for helping to edit and even adding that artistic pizazz to the writing. :D - Jmanchu