Azira's Chronicles: Chapter 1

***Azira's Chronicles: Chapter 1***

**Part 1/2**

It was daybreak during the middle of the work week, the sun had just started to peek above the horizon. I woke up, stretched, and started getting ready for a day with the siblings in the streets again. My target was a simple Vegetable Vendor, and my brothers were to target a Fruits Vendor. My mom was fast asleep still, this was the time to shine. My brother Ari, came in and whispered: *"You ready to go Az?"* He asked. *"Yes, one moment, let me finish getting ready."* I said. *"Very well, meet you at the back."* He replied. With that, I finished up, tied up my turban after pulling up my facemask, and creeped out- careful not to wake mom. As I slid the draped cloth across our doorway out of my way, I took a deep breath of the all-to-familiar air of Arenjun. I let out a long exhale which did a couple things, it calmed my mind and nerves, and then helped me to take in the welcoming scent of the nearby vendors. It was going to be a good day. The attire my siblings and I wore wasn't abnormal, mostly cultural, but it also helped in the slightly brisk morning for us. It would be easy to blend into the crowds at the beginning of the day trying to quickly arrive at vendors to purchase their wares before stock ran out. After my mental preparation, I creeped after Ari to begin our routine thefts. Yes, we had a routine. My brother and I would gather as much as we could carry and return as mother woke up to eat together as a family. We loved having our meals together. For a short while, our mother shunned us, but once she took into consideration how much money we had for our *bāji* to pay to the empire, she got over it and let us do as we pleased to stay busy and develop the learning experience of developing a solid routine...

We traversed throughout the city not hesitating for more than a few minutes to catch our breath- it helped knowing the city like the back of our hands. Furthermore, being children allowed us to sneak away through narrow alleyways and through windows of which may cause more of a grunt of effort from soldiers or merchants trailing us...we got away each and every time. We were afraid this wouldn't last too long though. As we grew, we may become more agile and faster, but at that point soldiers wouldn't struggle as much trying to catch us, and we could no longer fit through the tight spaces we currently had access to. I was the second oldest, Ari was the oldest, and my other brothers Hesam and Jaffar were younger, Jaffar being the youngest. Those two were still too young to start doing what Ari and I were doing, especially since Hesam had to wait until Jaffar was a bit older, as we had a strategy of executing our routine as teams. When the other two were older, they'd take over Fruit and Vegetable vendors, and Ari and I would pursue things of a bit more value, such as Utensils and Pottery. Further down the road, Ari and I would be the first to begin pickpocketing and selling things in the Black Market. The morning progressed and we had made stops at about two other vendors, one for Fruits, and one for Vegetables. It was mid morning, so we figured by now we may as well head back home to have our first, and possibly only meal of the day. It wasn't our most successful day...but it ended on a fair note, only time will tell what opportunities may arise later on...

It was evening the very same day, and Ari and I were bored at our home. We had spent the rest of the day inside spending time with our mother assisting with chores and the like, and playing the dice-board game: نرد (Nard) with each other. Maybe it was because he was older, but the majority of the time Ari ended up winning. He'd been playing the game for a few more years than me, but I still held up a good fight, it irritated him that I played so well. Family was one of the most important dynamics of our life. Not only did it offer companionship, support and entertainment, but offered the opportunities to do things as a team. Ari was 12, and I was 9. As a family we'd eat together, do chores together, and celebrate good times together; we never really found ourselves interweaving others into our affairs- especially considering Ari and I were thieves. It wasn't worth the risk. This was great for the time being, but would change later on in our lives. One thing that differed from others regarding family dynamics, was the fact that we *didn't* mingle with other families too much..except for my two younger brothers- one of them three, and the other was two. They were still toddlers and kept my mother's and our hands full during the day but a local family would help care for them. Ari and I tended to fend for ourselves quite nicely. Due to our exclusive family dynamics and aspirations of being a team- tonight Ari and I had plans to sneak out and do some scouting. Just him and I. When the toddlers were asleep with my mother, Ari and I would sneak out and scout out where the vendors for the next day intended on setting up so we could make our snatches quick, efficient, effective and easy. This scouting we did on occasion as a team also allowed us to know how to better navigate our local district within Arenjun.

By knowing our navigation, this allowed us to avoid capture and punishment in the district center- hence why we occasionally snuck outside and did some scouting at the dead of night. This was dangerous for multiple reasons though- not just because the streets were infested with guardsmen come nighttime, but because there were also many odd commoners out and about. Ari told me most of them were drunks and prostitutes....*whatever that meant*. When night came and streetlights were lit, Ari and I slipped through the drape covering our doorway and proceeded to begin our routing. What made our work so much more easier, was the fact that few-if-any locals had windows on their homes, so sometimes we had to slip through them to shorten our getaways. One thing that Ari stressed on, was that the straightest line we travelled would get us home faster- it worked every time- though this meant we had to scale short walls and such. Me being smaller meant that he had to help hoist me over the walls which put him at risk of being caught. Every night we went out, after escaping from the knot in our stomachs, we consistently had the fear of capture dwelling in the back of our thoughts, but we couldn't let that phase us nor slow us down. We trained to never look back but look forward in the direction home as to not stumble, trip, and get caught, which helped significantly.

As it got darker and we had been weaving in and out of the shadows quickly, Ari spotted a vantage point allowing us to see a great view of where the vendors would be setting up more than likely. *"Az, look! But stay close, don't let me lose you, I may never find you."* He said chuckling. *"Shut up Ari, you know I keep up well with how slow you run..."* I said chuckling back. *"Over here Az, here, let me hoist you up."* We scaled one wall, and then another. Once we got to the third level of the wall, he hoists me up and I keep a low profile, though my back was turned to the center of the roofing. I reached down so Ari could grab my hand in line with a handhold he saw, but after sitting there for about a minute waiting, he didn't grab my hand. I looked down, staying low, and looked upon the top of a helmet. I held in a gasp not wanting to say anything for fear of giving my position up as well- the Guard had a hand on Ari's arm. We locked eyes for but a moment and he quickly shook his head. This triggered the guard to look up and behind him a minute trying to spot whom Ari was shaking his head at, but saw nothing. I laid on my belly to avoid being seen, and being small, that worked in my favor. The guard said a few words to Ari and asked him why he was out this late at night, also asking why he was out so late. I decided to peer over the edge a bit watching the Guard confront him. He was glaring at the guard, and I saw him grab a handful of sand with his free arm, and he quickly threw it at the guard's face surprising him: *"Hey, you little rat!"* The guard called out releasing his grip on Ari's arm. Ari snickered, and before any other words or anything were exchanged, he quickly stood up and I saw him sprint away:(edited)

*[*7:34 AM*]*

*"Hey! Get back here! You'll be punished for this!"* The guard shouted. He was too late though- Ari had already fled heading back home from the way we came. The guard shook his head trying to get the sand out of his eyes, wiped them, and then pursued where he thought Ari had gone. Considering I was at a high vantage point, I watched the guard running torch in hand trying to catch Ari for as long as I could see. I smirked, laughed quietly to myself, and then jumped down landing on a small canopy, rolling off and landing on my feet. I was lucky. I chuckled to myself, and ran back home a slightly different way weaving in and out of the alleyways ignoring the bruises on my arms and one of my thighs I felt forming, hoping to the Gods he'd make it home safe...