Honour among Thieves

Daxton wasn't selfish.

He knew what life was like for folks who were needing a hand. He certainly wouldn't deny anyone that hand if it had been asked for.
 
Asked for. 

Had he ever helped anyone without being outright asked? That didn't mean he was selfish... Did it? Ignorant, maybe, stubborn definitely. Perhaps the man saw it as a subconscious want to avoid worming his way into situations that would not befit him, cautious to circumvent any unwanted attention... It could not be because he simply lacked the empathy to care. How could he? He was not some silver-spooned, conceited elitist who refused to even breathe the same air as those with less gold in their purse, he was a near-homeless common thief, and thieves took care of one another, no questions asked.

Could it be that, when asked, Grace decided he needed to extend that hand more? Had he grown ignorant and comfortable in the success he was gaining, forgetting what his original plan with life was? He didn't want to steal for his own acquisitive gain. What he took was to be put back into Ivras' bottom class, given to those desperate for coin just to feed their family - not just once a week but instead, every day. As of late, it seemed he was clearly growing a little too eager to keep ahold of it. Daxton let his head hang while ruby eyes scanned the worn leather pouch sitting in his palm, and his head rolled over various thoughts on what he should do with the task that had been presented to him. There were no doubts in his mind that he deserved the reward - why should he not receive the gift of coin, especially when Dax's was spent on things other than lavish, over the top nightgowns or golden painting frames that do nothing but sit on a wall? It wasn't selfish to think such a thing when you knew just a few pennies could let someone else live their life a little bit more comfortably, even if it was just for a few weeks.

He groaned, tightening his grip on the pouch, and stood with another huff as strangers continued to pass by. Help someone without being asked. It was simple, really. But what would be enough? If he gave money to some beggar on the street, would it count? For begging is asking for the goodwill and charity of passers-by, is it not?

A pair of laughing children broke the young man from his thoughts and replaced the inner discord with a faint smile. The innocent naivety that came with being a child was something he wished would return almost daily. He heard the baker yelling after them, letting them know that 'Thieves aren't welcome here.' They didn't seem to care that they got caught trying to swipe a loaf of fresh bread, though. Dax felt his hand return to the now hanging pouch while his eyes remained trained on the siblings playing amongst the dirt and rubbish lining the streets, blissful and utterly unaware of the situation they were in. Without another thought, the man stepped toward the children with an outstretched hand and there, hanging off his finger, was his full pouch of stolen gold.

"'Ere, look," Started he, now leaning down to the children's height, "Ah've got this for your parents. It's important, though, so you mustn't look, right?" His voice was playful almost, the sparkle in his eye letting the kids think this was simply some fun game and the item in hand nothing truly of importance.

"Be quick about it too, you hear?"

"You got it, mister! Another secret mission, Loch!" The sister beamed to her brother, wide-eyed and grinning from ear to ear like everything was right with the world. A shame to know they'd soon come to realise that nothing was right with it. Dax stood upright again as the pair skipped off, and his smile shifted into something akin to melancholy.

Grace may have had a hand in the decision to give away all he had left in the pouch, but the man did not find himself feeling even an ounce of regret. "'S that good enough for you?" Dax finds himself mumbling to the sky with a faint smirk before a hand pulls his hood over his head and pulls him back into the shadow. He had no idea how he was going to feed himself for the next few days, but he felt content with that, knowing two children could avoid the wrath of enraged merchants for a while.