"Here for ya"
My heels pass over the counter as I slide back, doing a small jump that would definetly have broke through my invisibility if that fucker didn't made that much sound by letting giant shurikens fall on glass.
Balancing to avoid a fall that will reveal myself, I manage to go from windmilling my arms for some stability, to standing on the glass with only the balls of my feet.
And I go very still as the hooded man almost brushes against my own cloak. "Thanks old man"
He takes both of the giant shurikens and they drag on the counter, going straight for me, for my feet that are on the way.
"It's not a-" as the shop owner answer. I place my palm against the wall, and in some kind of weird jump, time the moment the shurikens pass in front of my feet, and jump over it. I land as softly as I can, for once, I'm happy of my baby weight. "-charity here!"
Staying right there. In front of the dwarf, my heart beats. Pretty fast. But my hand stay steady, my legs stay steady, keeping me still and silent.
I'm like a ghost.
And I don't plan on being seen.
I need to sleep.
"I know I know, don't worry" The cloaked man digs inside his pockets, takes out some bills and some round golden coins with square holes. Ryos.
He puts them down, just beside my left foot. And the owner leans forward to scoop them. But before he does it, something else happens.
He frowns, and start grumbling while wiping the glass counter "You put water everywhere with that damn cloak!"
The hooded man laughs good naturedly, ignoring his friend grumbling.
Instead. He does something else, he answers him "Can't blame me, we're in the land of rain here, it's not my fault!" And as he does, he turns around, focusing on his new shurikens, to...fold them? It takes some time, both of them have their head down. One to wipe the water coming from MY cloak, and the other to fold his shurikens.
Just like that. Something happens.
The same thing that happened when I got chased.
The same clear mindset.
The same realization that I want to live, as if my entire head was plunged deep into a lake, as if someone grabbed me by the back of my head and shoved me deep in the cold sea, or someone woke me up by throwing a bucket full of icy cold water on me, or I was crazy enough to wake up and take a cold shower first thing in the morning
My entire body screams with energy, any tiredness I could have dissapears, melting off my body as a sharp burst of alertness replace it.
I don't hesitate.
My entire body comes up on the tip of my toes. I stretch my right arm up, high, it's not high enough. So I twist to the side and feel a big stretch on the side of my ribs, clawing just a bit more height until my fingers brush against it.
A kunai.
With a dexterity no two years old should have, I pull it off the loop it's being hold by, keep it in my hand, and with the same ease I used to steal books, I continue.
As my arm drops down like a single raindrop, from top to bottom, I grab two other kunais. I hold the first one under my thumb, using four fingers to grab the second one, and hold this one with my index as I use three fingers for the last one.
When I'm standing back normally, still above the counter, the rope barely moved, and the two men just finished their business.
As I open my cloak and put three kunais in my inner pockets, me too, I can agree on that.
My business here is done.
Even if that annoying shop owner proved once more why he's my least favorite person in this street, I like the weapon street, but not everyone is the weapon street.
Almost threw off my disguise.
Looking down, the two men give their goodbyes and ready themselves to go on their own way.
The hooded man turns around, two folded giant shurikens hidden somewhere on him. Already walking away.
And the shop owner pockets the money, and turns around to hide it in his stash, who's som-! THE KEYS!
As he turns around. I see them. On the side of his hips, dangling from a hoop in his pants, keys. Plural. Multiple on a single keychain, probably the entire supply of his shop rely on those keys.
And probably....
My eyes long for the crossbrow in front of the window.
Something perfect for me. Well. If I manage to crank it up.
A single shot. A lot of time to recharge, yes. But I'm weak, so a bow is useless. Even if a crossbow is technically inferior.
I have specific circumstances.
I just need to aim and do it, and I can be invisible for fuck sake, a sneak archer...
That sounds...
My tongue comes out to lick my lips.
My eyes widen as I see the hooded man opening the door. The bell rings.
I have a single chance to leave. If I don't follow him out, I'm stuck here.
My eyes flash, from the crossbow in the display case, and the back of the man who's just waiting for me to sneak away with my prizes.
He steps out.
And as the bell above rings. I move, I slide back on the counter, kneel, the back of the shop owner toward me. And with the sleeve of my cloak I wipe the footprints I made on the glass, making it look like water. Water that could have been put there by a dumb customer that leaned on his counter.
When I'm done, I push against the counter and jump back down. Landing as softly as possible.
It still makes sound, probably enough to snap people out of my fancy magic.
But thankfully.
The bell is still ringing.
Soon enough. It stops.
Looking back, the door is closed.
I'm locked there, with nothing but three kunais inside my cloak and greed driving me.
Sliding back against the wall, I sit down. Steady my breathing, and ignore the grunts of the shop owner as he lifts up something.
Instead. I focus on staying still and silent.
I will get what I want.
##############
There's not a lot of people visiting this shop.
There is some people. Yes. But not as much as you would believe, it made focusing easier, slightly easier.
Still, there were some people that came in.
So sometimes I needed to move. Shift, hide behind a display case to avoid bumping into them, the hardest part was keeping my breathing steady and ignore the shadows on the sides of my vision.
They worsened.
I don't know why.
Maybe it's because it's night now?
Or maybe it's because I've been sitting still and biding my time for ten hours?
I don't really know, but when I see the shop owner shifts from behind the glass counter. Stretching and grunting like an old man as he passes by a small opening close to the wall opposite to me, one that leads to the main part of the shop, I imitate him.
Minus the grunting.
I get up. And stretch, slowly. Feeling my body locked up and weird.
My calf is pulsating, just like my left thigh, I'm sure I got a cramp. But I ignore them. They don't hurt much.
Instead, I move just enough for my body to be able to go around without being locked up, adding just enough over the small movements I did while sitting -this unconcious dance of mine- to be able to walk unimpeded.
When I'm up, I follow him, stalk him, like some kind of animal, he closes the front door. His keys wiggle.
I follow him as he goes back behind the counter.
I follow him as he opens the backdoor, entering his small modest home attached to his shop.
I stay behind him as he closes the door with his key, locking me inside with him.
I stay still. My eyes focused on the keys as he throws them on a table near some boxes of rusted scrap, he turns around, opens another door, this one already unlocked, and leave me alone.
I step toward the keys.
Grab them.
Open the door, go back in the main shop, take as much crossbow bolts as I can, twelve, all in my inner pockets, and finally. I see it.
The crossbow.
Just in front of the big pane of glass showing off the street.
Slowly. With a low shuddering breath and shaking fingers, I open the display case.
It's hard, it's really hard, I feel weird and weak. But I do it.
I open it.
And grab it.
My new weapon.
Three kunais. Twelve bolts I can re-use if I pull them off the bodies I'm planning on putting down, and a crossbow.
My smile grows. It grows. It gets bigger and bigger, I want to laugh, I really want to laugh.
But I won't.
The key shines in my grasp.
All the weapons around me, even if most are useless because of my size.
They still look great.
And it's not like he won't notice me taking an entire crossbow out.
Why stop here?
I've been struggling to sleep you know? I've been really struggling. Knowing how weak I am, knowing how weak my flesh is. I've been struggling.
My thoughts were right though.
My flesh is weak.
And the only reasonable answer to something like this is to have enough weapons to wage a war.
I feel like I'm going to sleep like a baby tonight.