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Long before he had gotten it into his head that robbery was a pastime he wanted to try, Serr had loved to run. Feeling the wind whip his hair away from his face and his feet pound the hard-packed earth and his chest heave were nice and all, but knowing he possessed the ability to move at great speed without the aid of a mount or wheeled cart was a whole other level of empowering. When no one could hope to catch him, he could do anything he wanted.

What he wanted today was a pretty little golden medallion studded with emeralds. He had liberated it from a snooty suburban hybrid who he had never imagined would give chase. Technically, she hadn't. Her bodyguard, however, was almost as quick as Serr was.

The Leaf boy could feel the larger man's presence just behind him as he fled through the trees, his prize in hand. He would not be caught. It would be an insult.

Serr was so used to simply running home after his adventures that he almost did so now. It might have been something he could have gotten away with as an innocent-looking youngling whom people would scold and forgive no matter his transgressions, but he was grown now, according to some. If he led his pursuer home, he would no longer be the only one who suffered.

He turned sharply, careful to maneuver around the stalls and people gathered in this bustling area. As he had predicted, the bodyguard didn't make the same concessions and Serr turned again onto an calmer street amidst the sounds of clumsy destruction. He couldn't help taking a peek over his shoulder, which left him unaware of the proximity of the other Leaf boy. Serr hopped away from Ingwe mid-run and in his startlement, he dropped the medallion, staring as it tinkled to the ground.

His first thought when he looked up from the medallion to the boy he had nearly crashed into was one born of self-preservation. This kid was a Leaf, he was a Leaf, maybe he could pin his crime on him and make a clean getaway. No matter that they didn't really look alike or that the boy was pushing the medallion back at him and running away.

Serr hurried after him, mind racing to recall a nearby place where he... they could hide. Ah. Yes. Rushing up alongside the other boy, Serr said, "There," pointing with the hand that clasped his stolen jewelry. The entrance he indicated was the second on the right. Andly's Clothing and Sundries. For women. The place was packed with rolls of fabric and dressed up dummies, and Andly didn't mind him sitting in the back corner for as long as he liked.

Andly herself received a silent nod from Serr as he passed, beckoning for the other boy to follow, and she returned it just as soundlessly. He didn't say anything at all until he was deep between two racks of frilly dresses, outfits obviously meant for those who wore more than the average Leaf. When he did speak, what little volume he mustered was almost completely swallowed by his fabric cocoon.

"She's good at lying. I'll be safe here." He shrugged. "You too." He flopped down onto a heap of something pale green and nubby, letting the medallion fall until it was caught by two of his fingers. He stared at it for several seconds, then lowered his hand to his lap, looking at the other thoughtfully. He didn't like to speak, but he liked this boy for now and if he had to talk to get him to stick around, he would keep it up. "I've never worn a dress to hide. Is that something people do?" He stored the information away.

His small grin was rather manic, but he tempered the response quickly enough. "No. Hiding is new." He had always enjoyed sneaking about and being alone. As it turned out, those same quiet spots he had found over the years were also excellent for misdirection.

"I usually just run," he said, voice still low. "But when you take things that aren't yours, sometimes people don't stop chasing." He heard muffled voices coming from the front of the shop, one of them angry. Parting the dresses carefully, Serr leaned forward to see what was going on.

"—long hair, 'bout this high, carrying a necklace that don't belong—"

"Like this guy. He's not giving up. We should go." Without a proper belt pouch, he looped the medallion over his head and chose a high-necked poofy gown in the hope that it would hide the jewelry long enough for them to make their getaway. In the absence of a wig or any quick way to hide the other boy's aforementioned tattoos, Serr grabbed a short hooded cloak off of a rack overhead and tossed it to him. "We can go out the back. Like we're afraid of the shouting."

He turned around once he'd settled the dress against his shoulders. It was a little tight in some spots, loose in others, but nothing he couldn't work with. "Button me."

Serr eyed the fabric he'd been handed for a moment, then shoved it into the front of his dress with a shrug. Anything distracting helped, he supposed. It wouldn't help for him to laugh though, which is what he almost did when faced with his accomplice's rather convincing falsetto. He pressed the back of his hand to his mouth, pushing his smirk away before reaching higher. After tugging the leather tie that held his hair free and running his fingers through the strands to smooth them, Serr emerged from the racks, his back to the commotion.

"I'm starting to think we'll never find what I'm looking for, my dear. Especially not when the shops are filled with such... riffraff!" He managed a passable impression of the very woman he had taken the medallion from, if not in tone then certainly in vehemence. The bodyguard didn't notice.

With one last huff, Serr reached for the other Leaf's forearm and made for the back door. As he left, he heard Andly raise her quiet voice, laying into their pursuer for losing her the business of her strange pair of former customers.

The back alley was definitely safer than the shop's interior, especially since no one had given chase, but Serr knew they couldn't stay here for long. There was always time to listen to stupid, persistent jerks get yelled at by unassuming shopkeepers though, so he paused for a moment to do just that, giving no indication that he planned on removing the dress.

He turned back to the other boy with a soft scoff.

"We're not safe, even now." That was part of the allure. "But if enough people yell at that guy today, he'll give up. Problem solved. And I lift things from people who won't miss them so I can pay my aunt. For taking care of me and stuff." At least that was a long term goal. He hadn't actually managed to fence any of the precious few items he'd stolen or given Fiia anything but grief since he'd chosen this dubious career path.

Giving the back door of the dress shop one last look, Serr straightened and moved toward the busy street. If they could blend in, they'd be home free. He looked back at the boy. "Coming?"

Hmph. This kid was making it difficult for him to come out looking good, wasn't he? Serr shrugged.

"I don't know how to hunt." He hadn't known how to steal either, but he had proven a quick enough study. "Anyway... it's fun." The prentice shot a look back over his shoulder at the other boy as he moved on. He hadn't meant to say that. It turned what he might have been able to spin as a valid and charitable act into little more than a childish adrenaline rush. It was a grown up adrenaline rush, thank you very much.

"I'll give it back if you'd feel better about it," he said, not meaning a word of it. "But my aunt's been feeling real sad lately and I just wanted to make her smile a little."