Matteo straightened up, adjusting his glasses and taking the hand offered to him. He clasped it firmly, looking up into the face of the first friendly person he’d met since-- well, as far as he knew, since ever. [b]“Right, I suppose so,”[/b] he said, a little taken aback by Etono’s candor. How many people introduced themselves as a criminal first, soldier second? He offered his “senior” a wry smile, looking interested. [b]“A thief, really? Should you be telling me that?”[/b] 

[b]“Hm? Well, guess we’re not in as high demand as those preach-y types,”[/b] Etono chuckled, [b]“But we balance the scales, and most of us keep our heads down in town. Save the thievery for the enemy, yah know?”[/b]

Curious. Curious and curiouser (where had he heard that? It didn’t matter.) What he was hearing was that thieves were a soldier position, and apparently not an uncommon one. Still, new mysteries were constantly presented. [b]“Ah, I see. I take it that these robes you’re wearing aren’t the usual thief attire, then?”[/b]

There was another small smile on Matteo’s face as he gestured at the others, dour-faced and clothed in sky blue. Could they be the “preach-y types” Etono had mentioned? 

There was a flash of confusion, before Etono let out a low whistle. “Wow,” the handsome man remarked, [b]“Musta really pissed off Mathers, huh? Didn’t think he’d withhold [i]that[/i] much info.”[/b]

Pulling down down the collar slightly, the self-professed thief revealed the clothing he wore underneath: a motley collection of cloth and leather that varied from dark brown to beige. [b]“That look more like standard thieving wear for you? Us properly registered thieves all wear the blue as a signal that we have no intention of stealing from our own, you see?”[/b] He gave a little twirl, indicating just how form-fitting the garments were. [b]“Gotta toss some of our ill-gotten gains away to the less advantaged, lest the Imperial Edict, Ier-Briar The Mountainclad, judges us to be greedy and decides to take the toll via karmic justice instead. ‘S why all those others are being sour.”[/b]

A shrug, another smile, as Etono raised his arm up slightly. [b]“So ye, could say these are our casual clothes, Matt. Though basically everyone wears their normal gear underneath.”[/b]

A little stunned by how far he’d been off the mark, Matteo nodded along, eyebrows raising as he finally understood. He let out his breath in a sigh. [b]“That makes sense now.”[/b] He might not know much, but he’d assumed someone like a thief wouldn’t have a uniform that marked them so… obviously. Now he could see that was the point. [i]There’s something ironic about a registered thief.[/i]

[b]“We did arrive at a… untimely hour,”[/b] The curly-haired young man admitted, scratching his head. He assumed Mathers was the recruiter. [b]“Though we thought that might just be his personality.”[/b] Apparently not. [b]“Do you have time for a few more questions? I could…”[/b] Matteo trailed off, gesturing vaguely towards the inebriated crowd, [b]“Buy… you a drink?”[/b] 

[b]“Eh, the hour’s pretty normal, as far as I’m aware,”[/b] Etono replied, [b]“And naw, no need to get me a drink or anything. I’ll just cash in this favor once you’ve become a more established adventurer.”[/b]

With that, the ponytailed man leaned against the wall, looking a little more the part of a seedy criminal, as he snapped his fingers. [b]”Go shoot. Let’s see whatcha got on your mind.”[/b]

[b]“How did you become a thief?”[/b] Matteo asked, holding up his hands and adding quickly [b]“Ah, I mean-- you said you were registered. Who do you register with? Mathers?”[/b] What little information he’d already gathered covered the basics of [i]what[/i] they were supposed to do (kill monsters, apparently) just not [i]how[/i] they were supposed to do it. How did stealing work against “the enemy,” exactly?

[b]“Straight to the climax, eh?”[/b] the man laughed. [b]“We get registered in a guild separate from the Silver Moon. Usually, you’d need a guarantor and a hefty fee to get in, but joining up with the Silver Moon provides both. So yeah, pretty cut-and-dry. Join thieves guild, do thieves stuff, obey the rules and get training.”[/b] 

Training. What a fancy word for work. Matteo considered the unlucky soldiers who didn’t have the good fortune of being Silver Moon recruits and wasn’t sure what to make of them. Was it really such a prime opportunity, or were they just the only ones who didn’t know any better? Then again, if there weren’t any long-term benefits to the work, these “guilds” wouldn’t be able to charge so much. [i]Hmm.[/i]

[b]“Pretty cut and dry,”[/b] he echoed Etono, nodding, [b]“Was it a long training period? I assume there’s other guilds besides your own, too.”[/b] Merchants, clergy? He had no idea.

[b]“Basics are a week long. After that, you’re more or less out of money and have to start pulling your own weight.”[/b] A slightly more nostalgic smile crept over the thief’s features. [b]“Mm, those were fun times. And yup, more guilds than you can count on two hands, but not all of them are open.”[/b]

Matteo’s empty hand slapped against his hip and he glanced at it, vaguely realizing he’d been reaching for-- something. A piece of paper to write some of this down on, maybe. His brow furrowed for a moment and there was a pause for a second too long before he looked up again, expression easing again.[b] “Makes sense. Do you know which ones are open, or which I should look into?”[/b] Even if Matteo himself wasn’t interested, maybe one of the girls he’d been recruited with would be. 

[b]“There we go! That’s the question you shoulda asked,”[/b] Etono said, before his eyes flickered to the sky, musing over past details, [b]“If we’re talking about stuff that’d make you popular, priesthood is always a good bet, ‘specially if your group already has some burly manly men. Outside of that, warriors and fiend knights are always open, rangers will take you if you can handle the blood, I can get you in with an extra recommendation if you wanna go thieving, and if you’re feeling lucky, mage academy’s good for bookish types.”[/b]

A shrug. [b]“Those are the six ones that are always open, as far as I know, yea.”[/b]

… He could see why he would have wanted to write that information down, but Matteo liked to think he had a good enough memory (recent events notwithstanding) to repeat it back without notes. It was good to know which guilds had openings, even if he and the others might not know which ones they wanted to pursue. 

[b]“I’m not sure if I’m a bookish type or not,”[/b] Matteo said out loud and then paused. [b]“That is to say I’m literally not sure. I think so. Possibly.”[/b] Was it just because he had glasses? He pushed them up the bridge of his nose thoughtfully and sighed. One more thing had been bothering him. [b]“Earlier, you said you thought around now was the normal time to arrive, right? Do people like us show up here… often?”[/b] If the ponytailed thief was a Silver Moon soldier as well, that meant he’d started with the same circumstances as Matteo and the others… right?

[b]“I mean, I came at night.”[/b] Etono pointed out. [b]“So did basically everyone else I know?”[/b]

[b]“Huh.”[/b]

After a moment to let that information process, Matteo gave a little start and an apologetic smile, clearing his throat. [b]“Well, Etono, I’ve taken up enough of your time. Thanks for being so patient. I’d better go find the… others…”[/b] He was casting his gaze around for Ash and Aoi, who he’d almost immediately lost upon entering the plaza. [b]“In any case, I appreciate it. I certainly owe you that favor once I get myself situated here.”[/b] He offered his hand to shake again, grateful for the other man’s assistance.

[b]”Always a pleasure to be currying favor with the new kids,”[/b] Etono replied, taking Matteo’s hand in his own. [b]”If you got any other pressing questions in the future, just ask for me at Roselia’s. Someone’s probably gonna know where I’m at.”[/b]

[b]“Sure thing. Thanks again,”[/b] Matteo said easily. He turned away from the blue-robed thief and made his way back through the festive square, Talking with Etono had left him with a much different perspective of Silver Moon and Andeave itself. A close-knit group of people connected by their mutual goals and mysterious lack of past, distributed across elite guilds. The thief had seemed [i]happy.[/i] He wondered what that meant.

The short man still wasn’t sure if Ash had heard him or not when he’d suggested they meet back in front of the recruitment office, but he hoped at least the others had. They didn’t have to be friends, but their naivety in this city put them all at the same disadvantage. He returned along the same path they’d come on, dismissing the idea of food or drink until they'd reconvened.