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"Me? A thief? No, no, you've got it all wrong. I told you I look after valuable items. Polish them, repaint them, bring them to a wizard to refocus the flow of magic... I wouldn't dream of stealing anything. I am perfectly honest, you see.
Which reminds me, ehr.. Secretmaster, would you care to return that ring to the Hall where it belongs? Maybe I'll get a raise for it. You just give it to me, and I'll see to it that it is returned. I'll give you a Zircon gem for your toubles.
Now, with your permission, I will start dusting your extraordinary collection.
But, ehr.. there's one small problem. I left my tools at home. So, I'll just be going then."
Skip thinks a moment before asking
"By the way, there aren't any guardsmen out there, are there? Because, well, they always pick on me for no good reason. They scare me, you know..."
He is working hard to keep an honest look on his face. If they catch him, he's toast. Freelance always worked better that the guilds. No quota, no thievery cap. No responsibilities and a lot of freedom. But, unfortunately, no protection from other thieves. And this woman seemed to be a member of the most powerful guild around. He started sweating again.
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