Never Get Caught [Anreval]

[Yuffie Kisaragi]

Yuffie hummed in thought, her elbow on her knee with her chin resting in her palm. She rubbed the side of her nose before releasing a bored breath. There had to be something to do. Yet the ninja couldn't think of anything. She had already done a sweep of materia that morning, and now, in the evening, she was stuck. Stuck for ideas, that is. Well, I could go see Vincent...if I knew where he was.[/color] Each possibility had its flaw. So what exactly was she supposed to do? 

She stood up, and looked around. Pickpocket? Well, she hadn't done it in a while, and it was part of her Ninja Training to be discreet and silent...but she usually got caught. Yuffie didn't need to get into trouble with her father for 'acting like a common thief'. She could go to the market and sneak from a stall? It seemed a little less risky, since they were packed and she could sneak away easily. She shrugged. She wasn't one for practicality but... She might as well! What was life without a little risk? "And when have I cared about what my father thinks of me?" Yufie grinned.

Her destination had only been two minutes away, and when she was there, her grin widened. It was packed. This would probably be an easy heist. Her fingers twitched in anticipation. There was even a small materia stall. Yuffie cracked her knuckles and put on her 'innocent' facade. She went over there with an awestruck expression. The guy at the stall didn't pay any attention at first, and she was partly grateful. If a conversation started, it would be hard to achieve her goal. 

Yuffie had to find a way to distract him so he would look away. She gasped. "What's that guy doing?!" She pointed into space, and when he looked, she swiped as much materia as she could and sprinted, slipping it into her pocket. "Stop! Thief!" She groaned. Caught? The Great Ninja Yuffie is never caught! Well...almost never caught... Damn![/color][/i] She looked behind her and stumbled a bit, running into something before trying to gather herself up and escape.

If only she had taken rope escape lessons more seriously!

[Anreval Lycus]

Finding thieves for recruitment was never an easy task. Finding and thieves were not two words that went together as did hand and glove. Despite these facts, a thief was undoubtedly the best option to find another thief. Problems would arise even for thieves seeking out thieves, but Vale knew his fair share of tricks of the trade and telltale signs that brought him in contact with the target for whom he was searching. Such a sharp eye for the details had helped him recruit quite a few thieves into the original guild during his time with them. Now that he'd been so rudely removed from their ranks? Well, he'd put his energy towards ensuring that the old guild was left in the dust, not a gil to their names.

Of course, Vale and Gina made a solid team in their own right, but two people simply didn't have the resources to continue operations, especially when Shinra had it out for the both of them. A few extra hands didn't hurt...not if they were hands that could be trusted, unlike the bastards at the guild. But who among thieves could be trusted over any others? Vale trusted Gina, but the two of them had an understanding - both having been screwed over by their so-called allies - and a rapport they'd discovered. It wasn't easy to go out and recruit a strange thief to aid them in their endeavors. They had Rikku, who'd proven herself tenfold during the raid on the president's mansion and whom they believed would join this little band in a heartbeat. In fact, her potential aid had been the spark that caused Vale to recommend they turn their eyes from the limited scope of Gaia to the worlds that resided on the other ends of these portals. It was a bit of an ambitious task, gathering up a group of thieves that knew their trade well enough to manage it in worlds with which they weren't altogether familiar. Or...they simply needed some younger studies who were already good and had a potential to get better.

Vale didn't actually know an impressive amount about Yuffie Kisaragi aside from the fact that she was youthful and had a reputation as having been a little terror for travelers carrying materia in Wutai. And of course, quite a few people knew of her father. Vale didn't have the best sources on the matter, but she'd supposedly had at least a connection to Avalanche prior to Sephiroth's meteorfall plans. The information ended there, sadly. However, she was young and Vale had reason to believe that, nowadays, she was likely bored. The world was a quieter place than it had been during Sephiroth's reign of terror. Kids needed activities. Who better for him to approach than a girl who seemed to have a knack for fooling anyone and everyone who came in contact with her and would likely also be unattached to any responsibility? He couldn't think of a soul.

Finding her hadn't been quite as hard as he'd expected it to be. He simply needed a few people who knew of her and a small trail of information had led him to the place where she'd supposedly been dwelling of late. All it took after that was a bit of materia - which Vale had stolen himself - and a convincing market stall, and he had all he needed to attract the young thief.

He'd been spot-on with his assumptions. A three-hour wait had Vale wondering if he wasn't wasting his time, but after a small handful of sales and a whole lot of waiting, a young woman in her mid-teens with short-cropped dark hair and clothing undoubtedly of Wutai's culture approached, her eyes wide at the sight of the materia Vale had laid out before him. Vale smirked slightly, but tried to seem disinterested in her. He saw no need in scrutinizing her to the point that she became paranoid. He simply watched out of the corner of his eye as she hovered over his stall. She wanted what was available, no doubt about it.

And she'd make her play for it. Vale, half-playing the part and half-surprised by how suddenly she could shift her attention, stood to his feet as the girl he believed to be Yuffie gasped and pointed off at "some guy" who was doing something apparently interesting. Vale craned his neck towards where she was pointing, but tried his best to keep the girl in his peripheral vision. He noticed her arms moving...but looking back, she was gone. She was a fast one indeed. Letting her get away, though, was not what Vale had in mind for today. She could have all the materia at the stand if she wanted it - he barely used the stuff, and it was too difficult to store for him and Gina to make any money off of it - but he also didn't want her slipping away, never to be seen again, before he made his offer. So maybe, even if his own legs couldn't bring him to her, someone else could cut her off and make Vale's job a whole lot easier. "Stop! Thief!", he yelled, before darting out from behind the stand and taking off after her, hoping he could track her even if he couldn't quite keep up with her. Yep, he'd picked a good one.

Words - 963
Muse - Excellent!
Outfit - Inconspicuous merchant's garb stuff
Notes - I hope this is okay, I thought it might be a unique play on the thread. XD[/size]

[Yuffie Kisaragi]

Yuffie did not expect that!

Usually people just curse and get security on her. Nobody had actually chased her straight away of course. She cast a look behind her, seeing her pursuer and scowling. He seemed like a stranger, but there was something undeniably familiar with him. Was he someone who did business in Wutai? Maybe. She did steal from many of the businessmen. Not that they knew it was her, of course. The daughter of Godo Kisaragi was never guilty. Besides, anybody who daren't think otherwise would get their butt-kicked by yours truly.  Yuffie tried to lose them as best as she could, but from the beginning she knew it would be tricky. She kept turning and twisting, trying to get lost in crowds but... She knew the look of determination. And it was clearly over his face. Think, Yuffie, think! Where can you hide? She racked her brain, almost tripping a few times. She couldn't come up with anything. They all seemed to involve somebody telling her off for stealing. It wasn't her fault she needed materia and didn't have any money.

Well, technically Yuffie had her father's money. But that collection was lacking and she didn't want to live off of her father. She wanted to be independent and not constantly reminded of her debt. And anyway, she wasn't exactly on the best of terms with her father. Everyone they spoke involved some kind of argument... Her feet started to hurt a bit from how fast she was sprinting. She was losing her touch. That was great. Exactly what she needed at a time like this!

The Ninja stopped for a second to catch her breath before sprinting off once again. She had a mental map of her location and tried to find the easiest way to escape. She only had one answer; pick an alley and hope its an escape. If not... Well... She'll think about that at the time! Yuffie wasn't one to plan ahead when escaping. 

Yuffie's face lit up slightly when she spotted a narrow alley and she ran towards it, quickly slipping inside ad sprinting forward until she either escaped or was stuck.

Oh, her Luck was not with her today. 

"A dead end? Oh...no! Yuffie slowly turned around, squinting through the darkness to see if she had a small speckle of a chance to escape. She was weighing her options. Scale the walls? What if they could too. Kick their butt? A chance they were better at fighting than her. "Oh geez, I'm screwed!" She nibbled on her lip, and she gripped a Materia tightly for comfort. 

She must have done something pretty bad in her past life for this to happen.

[Anreval Lycus]

She was fast, if nothing else.

Vale considered himself to be probably the best pure athlete the guild had ever had to offer, only because most of the members had different specialties, but hell if he wasn't having a hard time keeping up with this girl. His strides were far longer, but when it came to pure speed of step he was only doing a decent job of avoiding losing sight of her altogether. The merchant's attire wasn't helping him much, either. But she - Yuffie, he still believed - was making an occasional slip-up that would give him a chance to make up a little time, not to mention the load in her arms was making her a little more plodding than she likely would have been in any other circumstance. Oh yes, this one had potential. Probably could use a little refining here and there, but that was the point of this guild idea, was it not?

Catching her was going to be the issue. If he could catch her, and maybe get a chance to talk to her without her getting overly spooked, he might be able to convince her to accept his offer. If he had breath to speak once he finally did catch her. Though he knew, seeing her slow up ahead and catch her breath, that this was his opportunity to close the distance, he needed to stop and pull in a couple of paced breaths, too. Once she was off again, though, he took off in a run after her again, after having shed off the jacket he'd been wearing to make her believe he was genuinely a merchant. Agh, he wished he had his armor. So easy to run in.

She took an alleyway. Pretty typical fare. She did end up out of Vale's sight before he made it around the corner, and he brought his hands up to push back in case she'd been planning to try and ambush him around the corner. No attack, though. Nor did she jump him from above, as he could have imagined happening. No, he'd been fast enough that she hadn't come up with a plan of escape from an apparent dead end yet. Pulling up to a slow stop as she came into sight, Vale took in a few breaths of relief before propping his hands on his hips and speaking up. "Yer a fast one, lass. That much I can give ye. An' all the materia in yer arms, if ye'll listen for a few seconds without runnin' off again."

Words - 457
Muse - Great!
Notes - Nada![/size]

[Yuffie Kisaragi]

Yuffie crossed her arms, without dropping the materia, mind. She hated being caught. It was against her policy to get caught while thieving materia. She needed it. To restore Wutai to it's former glory, thats her key. Yes, she may be fast, but she was human. She also wasn't the fastest by a long shot. She felt rather proud because she had outran this guy. That was until she had reached the dead end. With that part, she was angry with herself. She should know never to run into alleys, chance of escape or not. It always was a bad idea.

She huffed. "I'm fast because of that one in a million chance someone will catch me. Aways be prepared." Her eyes were giving a cold glare, and her grip tightened on the materia. She looked behind her again, estimating her escape chance. It was next to nothing, but when has that ever stopped the Great Ninja Yuffie? She rocked back and forth on the balls of her feet, ready to spring if his guy showed any advancement towards her. "It all depends on what you want me to listen to."

Her eyes flickered around a little before settling on the wall. She could try, but it was rather risky. And the fact some guy had just chased her quite a long way just to make her listen was a little bit weird. Ok, it wasn't a little weird, it was just weird! However, she wasn't about to let her guard down, at any costs. Yuffie wasn't let go of the materia either. It was hers.. Finders keepers and all that! She cocked her head slightly at this guy.

Yuffie sighed. "Why did you follow me so far? What type of guy follows a someone just to make them listen?" After she said it out loud, it did sound rather weird. A little bit stalker-ish. "Besides, you're not getting this materia." She spoke confidently. No harm in stating the truth, was there? It was a fact, and it was only fair she let him know that. If she didn't, he might make the mistake of asking or demanding for it back. People had done before. They never will again. Ninjas can be very convincing and persuading when they wanted to be seen.

WORDS;; 410
MUSE;; Pretty good!
TAGGED;; Vale
OUTFIT;; Advent children
LISTENING TO??;; Beauty and Beast – Yuya Matsushita
NOTES;; Nope!

[Anreval Lycus]

"Good policy. Guess I was that one in a million, eh?" And it was only understandable that Vale would be that one, considering he was a thief himself. He could tell the fact that he'd managed to pull off this pursuit made the younger thief rather uncomfortable. He did his darn best to seem unimposing, though...which he supposed didn't work so well, considering his size and accent. Oh well, she hadn't gone into defensive mode yet, though. That gave him time to talk.

"A guy who wants tae make a profit," Vale told her, finally straightening himself fully now that his breathing had resumed a normal pace. "Unless I'm badly mistaken, ye're Yuffie Kisaragi. I bet most people know ye as the daughter o' Godo an' not much else, right?" The question was rhetorical, so Vale didn't leave much pause for a response, instead continuing. "But it'd take a fellow thief tae know that if I placed out a stand filled with materia, the same Yuffie Kisaragi wouldn' be able tae resist taking some of it for herself."

Vale stepped a few feet to the side, opening the end of the alleyway. "I'm not going tae be taking it back, either. Ye can have the rest of it back at the stand, too. But I was hopin' ye'd listen to a bit of a job offer that might just catch your ear, an' it involves stealin' all o' the materia ye'd ever want." He raised a hand to the open end of the alleyway. "If ye're not at all interested, ye're free tae go. I don't think the idea'll disappoint ye, though." No, Vale thought the idea of an organized thieves guild, though one without any strict rules aside from don't stab each other in the back, might just be enticing to a teenaged girl who was clearly out doing this on her own for her own entertainment. Give a younger person a few goals and they suddenly had a path to plot out their lives. Maybe that was exactly what Miss Kisaragi here would want. It was the gamble Vale was taking. If she decided to leave now, he wouldn't be coming back. So, to say he hoped she stayed to at least listen to the full proposition would have been a serious understatement. Then again, thieves were masters of the understatement....

Words - 453
Muse - Excellent!
Notes - Not a thing![/size]

[Yuffie Kisaragi]

She scoffed, but it was obvious she was interested. However, she wasn't sure if he was trustworthy yet. She wasn't entirely sure what to think. Not just yet. Whenever she thought she knew the type of character, it seemed totally different. "You got that right..." Yuffie thought for a moment, thinking about what to do. Should she listen, or should she try and make a run for it? Maybe I should listen to what he has to say... With that thought, she nodded. It wouldn't do any harm, right?

Profit, huh? Yuffie looked a little confused. If you were trying to make a profit, you wouldn't tell a thief. Makes them targets. However, she scowled at the mention of her name. That usually meant bad news if a stranger knew your name. "And what if I'm not Yuffie Kisaragi?" She looked down at the stash of materia in her arms, and bit her lip. It was the perfect set-up. Most people knew she had a thing for materia, for the glory of Wutai anyway. Surely she wasn't that predictable. She hoped not.

She shook her head. "I'm sure quite a few thieves would thieve rare materia if they saw it. Any materia, really." The brunette cocked her head slightly at his movements, cautiously. She liked to keep some suspicious people at a distance, especially if materia was involved. But Yuffie was a little relieved to find out that he wouldn't request for it back. But a job request was a bit of a price. She'd have to know what it was first. She wasn't doing anything too dangerous, not for anybody. Not kith or kin.

"I'll listen to what it is, but no promises. At all." She spoke with a serious tone. She was all up for materia, but the type of job mattered. It all depends on whether or not she would be up to it. She held the power to decide this. It was her decision, and she released a deep breath. "A thieving job?" Then, she shrugged, not really sure about the situation she had been put in. The brunette wasn't even sure about the guy giving her the choice. She shrugged.

The materia orbs shone in the sun, and she looked down on them. Maybe this would help Wutai? And who said she couldn't ask for her own favour in return?

WORDS;; 431
MUSE;; Pretty Good
TAGGED;; Anreval
OUTFIT;; Advent Children
LISTENING TO??;; Nothing
NOTES;; Nada :3

[Anreval Lycus]

"Well, if ye ain't Yuffie Kisaragi, ye've got a sister somewhere that's basically Wutai royalty," Vale told her, eyebrows raised. He wasn't entirely sure that this was indeed the girl he was looking for, but she fit the profile and she hadn't outright told him he was wrong. He was willing to take a gambit here and stick with the belief that it had been Yuffie he'd reeled in with his little materia stand trick. So he kept it going, even as she tried to disprove his theory that he'd found the exact thief he'd been looking for. "Aye, but jest any thief wouldnae have managed tae outrun me," Vale told her, with a faint smile. It wasn't a cocky thing to say if it was true, and he was giving her the compliment, after all. Heck, he was lucky he'd been able to catch up with her anyway. He was ten years older, and while he was in great shape, she would run circles around him in terms of stamina. Thank Gaia for advantageous alleyways.

He provided her with an understanding shake of his head when she expressed she wouldn't be making any promises. "Dun't expect any," he relented, crossing his arms over his chest as he studied the young brunette. "See, myself an' a pair o'like-minded individuals I'd even go so far as tae call friends have made up our minds that there's a little too much danger out there for people in our line o'work tae go it alone. Plans are tae start up our own guild an' see how we manage not only on the world stage..but universal stage," he began, running a hand through his hair. "Guess ye've heard aboot these portals poppin' up all over, right? Well, one o' the young ladies who'd be workin' with us has access tae an airship an' knows how tae travel through those portals. That opens up a world o' possibility for us tae get into another world, grab what we want an' get back here. The idea is that we need a few professionals in certain facets o' this little game we play tae be successful."

Vale shifted his stance slightly. "Your particular talent at distraction would be invaluable to us in a pinch. Everyone gets an equal share on every job they perform. An' we're not doin' this as an organization, but as a team." He straightened himself, dropping his arms to his sides. "An' I'm willin' tae here any requirements ye'd want tae throw at me in return if ye're any at all interested." Flexibility was going to be good here. He wouldn't expect anyone to jump in without having their own needs that the rest of the group needed to attend to. Vale waited patiently for Yuffie to relay hers.

Words - 535
Muse - Excellent!
Notes - Rambly post is rambly.[/size]

[Yuffie Kisaragi]

Her jaw locked. She didn't like people knowing of her status. It meant nothing to her, but people would always treat her different when they knew. Sometimes, anyway. AVALANCHE didn't care, and she was grateful for that. But still, how could the information get out so easily? That was the part she didn't like. Could people get any information about her? If so, that wasn't good. This guy already knew about her liking materia, then he knew something she tried so desperately hard to keep a secret. But her smirked a little at his next comment. She was rather fast. Yuffie always managed a clean escape. Well, excluding this time, of course. She looked in the corner of eyes. She could still make an escape now. If she scaled the wall behind her... but she had said she would listen. She was usually true to her word. Her eyes flicked back to him. She couldn't be sure of his character. He seemed to be a little bit like her, in terms of sneakiness. Heck, he had caught her out. And Yuffie never got caught out. Well, except that time, and that time.... and that time in Mideel. But that wasn't the point!

Yuffie's stance relaxed slightly, but her senses were still alert for something. Anything to suggest a threat. That was what her teacher had told her. Always be alert. You never know when there could be a surprise attack. And so, that's what Yuffie remembered. She was always ready. Our line of work.... does he mean...? She didn't think about it. However, she wasn't sure where he was going with this. A guild of what? Thieves? Because that would really work out. Not. Thieves would always steal from their own kith and kin. Nothing could stop that. It was in the nature of a one, after all. In the end, wouldn't they just steal from each other? Yuffie couldn't promise she would stick around to see the end result, but maybe this could be rather amusing. She sighed. "The portals are dangerous. You never know where you could end up, let alone if it's hostile or not." It seemed she would have to be the voice of reason for this. "But I guess..." She wasn't sure about this whole idea.

Stealing from other worlds? Sneaky, but overall it was a good idea. Yuffie looked at this guy again. So, he needed her talent, huh? She clicked her tongue. A team? She was ok with working as a team. Heck, AVALANCHE member! The whole of AVALANCHE was more like a team. Especially with the usual people. Cloud, Tifa, Barret, Cid, Vincent and so on. She nodded. "Any requirements, huh?" She said, a smirk on her face. She was going to make sure he would regret those words greatly. Never say stuff you don't mean, after all. It could, and usually would, get you in a bit of trouble. She crossed her arms. "Ok. Guess I'll do it." Where was life without a little bit of danger anyway. Sure, lot's of the people she knew would people protest against her doing this, but she didn't have to tell them, did she? It wouldn't be lying to them, if they didn't know what was going on in the first place. Besides, she would be doing them a favour! Right?

Eh, if not, it wasn't any of their business to begin with!

[/size]

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Words:; 624
Muse:; Slowly coming back XD
Tagged:; Vale
Outfit:; Usual
Location:; An alley XD
Listening To:; --
Notes:; Ack! An alright post. Rambled a little but OH WELL XD

[Anreval Lycus]

"That they are," Vale replied in response to the girl's concerns about the portals. Boy did he ever think the portals were dangerous - he'd seen monsters come out of those things that places like Edge or Junon would have never seen otherwise. The portals were also opportunity, though, as Rikku's presence in this world had proven. She was still alive, so why couldn't someone like Vale dive into one and come out of it as well as Rikku had in her time here? "But that's why we're gatherin' the best of us in the first place. The more steady hands we have on deck, the better our chances o' gettin' what we want outta the other side an' makin' it back here with all our heads still attached." Of course, he, Gina and Rikku were already a pretty solid unit as it was - their surprisingly successful work at the Shinra mansion was proof of that. But there was definitely strength in numbers, and Yuffie arguably had better resources than the rest of them, as well, considering Vale and Yuffie were fugitives and Rikku was displaced from her world with only Gippal's airship on call. Yuffie was a daughter of Wutai, that Vale knew, and that would give her a leg up in the preparation department.

And it was looking like he was starting to interest her. He could add on a little more to the deal, he supposed, to make it even more attractive. "We're also no fans o' Shinra, if it's any sort o' bonus to yer nation's interests," Vale explained, rubbing at his knuckles. "An' with Shinra still in rebuilding mode...there are some definite possibilities in remindin' them they're not untouchable." Probably best not to mention the Shinra job just yet. Not until he had her to a place where a little more privacy was in order. Heck, someone could be listening to this conversation right now, though Vale seriously doubted it.

Seemed like the offer for favor in return of favor was the real kicker though, as Vale had partially expected it to be. He didn't expect Yuffie's return favor to be the easiest thing in the world, but they weren't putting this group together for things to just be easy. Vale was willing to work at this, both in the interest of putting the other guild out of business and actually getting rich for once from this high-paying job of his. They were going to be doing this the right way.

And then, she sealed it with an agreement. A smile pulling at the side of his mouth, Vale gave her a pleased nod. "Meet me five miles out from Edge in two days. Ye know the ol' station, right? I'll be waitin' there, an' we can get ye a little more acquainted with the idea." He motioned to her materia. "Dun waste it all in one place. I'll be seein' ye soon." Pleased with his success, Vale turned and trotted out of the alleyway, plans already forming in his head.

Words - 566
Muse - Excellente!
Notes - I think this can be the end, unless you want to add one more post? [/size]