✗ to catch a rat; akira
rgakira
Though not one for festivals, Taeil had been anticipating such an event for quite some while. Clad in relatively posh yet nicely comfortable clothing, he was quite effortlessly able to blend in with the crowd of commoners. Taeil was all too good at playing that game of fitting in; which always came in handy for his trade. Often he found the best place to hide was a crowd; though his relatively small stature and weasel like attitude followed his person like a shadow, they did not define him nor render his adaptability.
For Taeil was a firm believer that carrying himself confidently would get him far, and he wasn’t wrong. Wherever he went, the little thief acted as though he belonged where he was and knew what he was doing, where he was going, and why he was there. And needless to say--it worked. Being a master of disguise meant next to nothing if he only looked the part. No. Taeil had the attitude, the aura, the language to fit each costume, each face he wore. That is what separated a great criminal from a pitiful one.
That particular evening had so far been an interesting one. Due to that chaotic nature he wore like a coat, Taeil had tailed nobles as a predator would its prey. Though never staying on single victims for more than several minutes; Taeil really felt like those personal grudges he harbored were manifesting themselves in each snide, wealthy man or woman he saw. Taeil could not help his resentment. He watched the way the rich paraded and thought of his underground home. His collection of pillows and blankets. His birdlike bone structure and lack of proper nutrition that showed on his skinny body. And when Taeil thought about it like that, he could only find the wealthy to blame for his misfortunes and pain.
Though that night, he had noticed his mischief hadn’t gone utterly unnoticed. He presumed it was because he had been sneaking around all night like a guy up to no good--and that’s exactly what he was. A little rat, a weasel, scampering throughout the festival causing trouble as he deemed fit. So when he realized a guard had taken special notice of him, he couldn’t help but feel a little proud; excited, even. He wanted to be noticed then; maybe it was the lack of parental care in his upbringing, or maybe he was just crazy--but there was something so wonderful to him about attention.
So maybe he was giving the guard slight googly eyes; maybe he felt his heart beating a little quicker. He gave a cheeky grin and with just the flick of a wrist, splashed water from a nearby cup onto the guard’s face. He gave a contempt snicker like he were some misbehaving child before nonchalantly leaving the scene, a grin on his face and skip in his step.
