[troylus/amybri18] The Black Market

[Lyn𝛿is]

[googlefont="Tangerine:400"]

Val Gerard

{there, out in the darkness

a fugitive running}

The market is crowded and busy, the sounds of conversation and of merchants hawking their wares filling the air. I scan my surroundings - as a Peacekeeper, I must always be vigilant, striving to catch lawbreakers before they become a scourge on society.

It's a slow day for me today. The case I was originally assigned to District Three to investigate has ground to a halt, with no leads in sight. Through some research, I have discovered rumors that the criminal may even have fled the district under an assumed name. Just before I turn around, though, I spot a boy bending down in the middle of one of the market stalls, a vaguely guilty expression on his face.

The entire scene looks suspicious, in fact - the shopkeeper is busy talking to a young girl about what looked like expensive jewelry, utterly oblivious to the boy behind him picking up a stack of laptops. I spare a glance at the girl - not knowing if she was an accomplice to the thief or just an equally clueless bystander - but the thief had to be my first priority. 

There were always thieves in the markets, be they inexperienced boys succumbing to laziness and temptation, or professional criminals with elaborate con schemes. The only real difference between them was in how difficult they were to capture and arrest.

By habit, I pat the side of my thigh, making sure my pistol is holstered and ready, and the handcuffs are stored in the pocket they should be. I stride toward the shop, glaring at the thief before raising my voice.

"You! What do you think you're doing?!"

As he hears my words, the thief freezes, guilty expression now clearly visible as his body turns slightly. The shopkeeper finally notices him as well, spinning around to glare at the thief.

I take several steps forward, keeping the girl in the side of my vision in case she tries to make off with the jewelry while the shopkeeper's back is turned. I am ready, ready to give chase to the thief and arrest him if he tries to run.

[troylus]

Tommy froze, laptops clutched in his stone cold fingers.  The words "You! What do you think you're doing!" cut into him like a whip and he felt paralysed.  Everything slowed down around him and started to spin.  When he could finally move again he turned his head to see a large man, so intimidating with his greying hair and stern features it made Tommy's heart stop beating for a moment.  He almost lost control of his bladder.  The stall owner was turning towards Tommy too, looking furious like he might actually skin Tommy alive for stealing from him.  It was all too much, and the dump of adrenalin had to go somewhere.  It was a stupid thing to do, the sort of thing that could get you shot, but Tommy wasn't thinking at all.  He was purely working on instinct as he sprinted off, hurdling the stall clumsily, making things crash and fall all over the place in his haste to get away.  He charged blindly into the crowd, blocked and stumbling like a mad animal.  

Tommy was quite athletic and strong, but he was NOT thinking straight and he was NOT skilled at running from the law, by any stretch of the imagination.  Every obstacle seemed to materialise in front of him; crates, boxes, endless people.  He still had the laptops clutched in his arms when he tripped over something and they crashed to the ground in front of him.  He landed heavily unable to protect himself as his arms were full, and the breath was knocked from his lungs.

[amybri2002]

Waynoka Druid

"You! What do you think you're doing?!" HThe guy ran away from the Peacekeeper. It looked like the situation was about to get a whole lot worse. Waynoka wasn't sure whether she should run away him, or stay there and play dumb. She didn't want the guy to get caught, but she didn't want to get caught either... If she ran, then maybe they would think she was working with him (which she kinda was, but she wasn't in it to beginning with) and then she would be punished as well. Maybe if she stayed and explained the situation... No, she couldn't break his trust. Besides, he seemed like an alright guy - he only did what he did to help out a friend in need. Sure, there were other ways he could have helped, but he probably didn't think about it.

So, the question was Stay- She quickly looked around. -or run.

Noka's heart was beating too fast for her mind to keep up. She couldn't think straight, at all. Her mind was just filled with tons of questions, all seeming to question her sanity. Should I stay? She looked at the Peacekeeper. Or should I run? She looked at the guy behind the stall. Should I risk my life and save him? She looked over at where the guy had ran. Or should I risk his life and stay here? She looked down at the floor. What is happening? What should I do? How can I get out of this? Is it even possible? Should I stay or should I run?...

All the confusion made her stay - she was too confused to even think about running away. Can I help?

[Lyn𝛿is]

[googlefont="Tangerine:400"]

Val Gerard

{Ripred be my witness
I never shall yield
till we come face to face}

There - just as I expected, the thief bolts, knocking over half of the shopkeeper's stall in his attempt at escape, laptops still in his hands.

I chase after him; where the thief's movements are clumsy and panicked, mine are smooth and practiced, the crowd parting at my footsteps with the due respect they should be giving a Peacekeeper. I can't use my gun here, it's too risky in a crowded place like this, but with the thief encumbered by the stolen goods, it will nonetheless be of little difficulty for me to capture him.

Sure enough, there's a great crash as the thief trips, the laptops flying out of his grasp and shattering on the ground. In the seconds it takes him to regain his breath, I'm already on him, handcuffs out as I pin him to the ground with my weight and wrench his arms behind his back, fastening them together with the handcuffs.

"For unauthorized shoplifting of market goods, you are hereby under arrest," I recite as I grab the chain of the handcuffs, pulling the thief roughly to his feet.

No doubt he'll plead and beg, tell me the most inane excuses for why he chose to steal those laptops. But I've caught him red-handed, and theft is theft even if the thief pretends to justify his actions. 

I stoop back down again, scooping the laptops up and confiscating them as evidence. Sparing one last look at the shopkeeper, I drag the thief out with me towards the police station.

[troylus]

Tommy felt a strange sense of relief as he was caught. Perhaps it was what he felt he deserved, or just that it was over and he didn't have to worry about it - what would be would be now that he was caught.

"For unauthorized shoplifting of market goods, you are hereby under arrest."

Tommy's wrists ached and pulled as the cuffs dug deep when the peacekeeper dragged him to his feet. Tommy stared numbly around, hoping that his accomplice was staying out of this. He didn't want her to get in trouble as well. She really hadn't done anything that bad, just kept the stall owner distracted. Tommy felt like a complete idiot. The second time in his life that he'd stolen something, the same thing as the first time, and on both occasions he'd neglected to check for cameras or peacekeepers watching him.

He glanced at the peacekeeper escorting him, intimidated by his crisp white uniform. His whole body trembled visibly, and he tried to walk in a helpful manner so as to not annoy the man any more than he already had. 'I'm so done for,' Tommy thought silently. He hated himself, and thought of his poor mother and grandfather and the shame and worry he was about to bring to them. As always he thought of his darling Charlotte too. Would she cry for him, locked up in a cell or worse, and know he did the crime for her? Or would she barely even notice and when he was out, if he was ever out again, laugh at him for being so stupid as to steal and then get caught? He had a particularly painful image of her partying with other men, often peacekeepers in her wild parties while Tommy was whipped and beaten. Maybe he'd be lucky and one of the peacekeepers he'd met at these parties would be involved in his interrogation and go easier on him.

"Please, sir" Tommy begged to the peacekeeper, "I was taking them back because they were stolen goods. They should be returned to the proper owner."