Jinxy

The velvet thief. What he steals are not items or valuables, but secrets. He likes to dig to the bottom of anything that interests him. Though there are times when he actual steal some tangible goods, but would mostly because those items can help him get to the truth. Has a silver tongue and can talk himself out of most situations without arousing suspicion.

He has the charm to make others spill their beans, so to speak, though he doesn't give away anything in return. Everyone thinks he's their best buddy, or someone to talk to when needed. A good listener. Though your secrets are not entirely safe with him. He rarely trade secrets, but that doesn't mean he will not do it in order to get what he wants (to know).





The Thief of Secrets

Jinxy stood in the corner of a marketplace booth, rifling through the fresh produce. The booth was constructed of cedar wood and cloth faded blue by the sun, strung together with rope dirtied by the dust that blew up during the many windstorms that plagued the desert. In the corner of the booth, the cloth and wood were carelessly bound together, and a small opening allowed Jinxy to see the rest of the marketplace. Standing only a few feet away were two merchants and their small caravan, its contents unknown. Jinxy could hear the men exchanging hushed whispers; he strained his whole body, clutching a few fresh peppers to his chest, and closed his eyes to concentrate on his sense of hearing. A soft wind blew through the gap in the booth, and he had a hard time deciphering anything over the breeze whooshing next to his ear. "We'll keep eighty percent," he heard one of the men say. He was unable to catch the other's response. Frustratedly, he set the golden peppers back onto the pile of vegetables. He could feel the eyes of the booth's owner burning into the back of his neck, wondering if he was going to be paying for the produce he'd picked out. He attempted to ignore the man's impatient gaze, tried to focus his entire being on listening to the strange merchants' conversation.

"Hey, are you going to buy those, or what?" the tan-skinned booth owner shouted to Jinxy. He had noticed that - after spending a considerable amount of time picking out his best peppers - he'd decided to return them to the mountain of vegetables. The men outside of the booth snapped their necks towards Jinxy's corner and met his deep pink eyes. "Curses," he whispered to himself, turning to meet the booth owner's gaze. Taking the three peppers back from the pile, he hurriedly dropped a few bits of treasure into the young man's labor-roughened hands. "Here, keep the change," he said, rushing out of the booth. Though the man was surprised, he pocketed the gold coins quickly, turning to the next customer.

Jinxy was a thief; a swindler. The possessions that he stole did not have material value; they were not physical in nature. Jinxy hoarded secrets, greedily kept them to himself, and delighted in the idea of possessing forbidden knowledge. Despite his breed, Jinxy possessed a silver tongue. Unlike most Coatls, he was a potent speaker, and he was quick to think on his feet. He always knew exactly how to twist his words in a way that manipulated information from others. Before they knew it, they'd be spilling their deepest regrets to Jinxy. He never wrote them down. He remembered each and every one, even the secrets of strangers, and held them close to his heart. It was a dirty trick learning the things that people never shared. He knew of secret networks, love affairs, cults, even hatchlings' first kisses. Every secret held value to him until the knowledge was spilled to another. His curiosity overwhelmed him. He was drawn towards whispers and had a knack for recognizing peoples' discrepancies.

Though he was burning with curiosity, he decided it would be best to make a swift exit. The merchants had undoubtedly met his gaze; he'd been caught in the act of spying. Jinxy tucked his chin into his chest, his single blue braid falling into his face. Head down, he attempted to make his way out of the clearing, away from the marketplace. He was stopped by a loud voice. "Hey, stop," said a voice from the caravan. It wasn't particularly unfriendly, but it was commanding, and Jinxy thought it best to comply. "Come over here for a second," said the man. "I'd like to discuss something with you."

Jinxy considered this for a moment. Certainly, he was up for a discussion. He spun around on his heels, still clutching his peppers, and walked briskly over to the pair of men. The taller one, presumably the one who had called him over, continued to wave his hand at Jinxy until he was standing only a foot away from them. "I don't appreciate being eavesdropped on," he said. "If I were an unkind man, I wouldn't be handling this so... politely. But I'm a business man. I think we can work something out."

Jinxy nodded. He realized that the man didn't know how long he'd been standing there. He seemed to believe that Jinxy had heard much more than he'd been able to discern. His heart pumped with excitement; if this secret was so worth protecting, it must be a valuable one. He hoped to add it to his collection. "I'm not an unreasonable man," he responded. "I'd be open to discussion."

The taller man looked down at his business partner and received a nod in turn. It was obvious they had been discussing their proposal to Jinxy before they'd called him over. "I'm prepared to offer you five percent of the cut," he said. He placed one hand on the caravan and the other on his hip, closing his body off to Jinxy. He seemed more threatening this way, but Jinxy was persistent.

"Five percent? You said you were keeping eighty... is that the best you can do?" If there was one thing that Jinxy had learned about bartering for secrets, it was the importance of giving off the impression of knowing more than he did. If he appeared to be an insider, the man might treat him as one.

The man was baffled. Beside him, his short, plump partner laughed. "You may want to reconsider who you're dealing with," the man stated threateningly. "You think that you wouldn't make an easy sale? Watch your step, or you may just find yourself in a labor camp tomorrow morning. We'll tell your clan that you were so insistent on an exaltation ceremony; so devoted that it must happen at once. We tried to reason with you, give you a chance to say goodbye, but your will was too strong. They'll get your five percent cut... call it... exalt payout," he said with a smirk, and Jinxy could see that he'd done something similar before.

Jinxy took a step back, reconsidering the size of the caravan. Yes, it was large enough to host several dragons at once, if they were rather young. This was the merchants' scheme; promising to perform an exaltation ceremony and selling their customers into labor. He swallowed the lump in his throat. He began to feel much better about his own trickery. The theft of private affairs seemed a meager sin in comparison. Jinxy smiled, though he knew he was stepping on dangerous grounds. He trusted his silver tongue to guide him out of the situation, to keep him from being bound in the caravan and dumped at a mysterious labor ground. "No need for threat," he said charmingly. "Any good businessman always tries to get more than his product is worth. You've bought my secrecy for five percent," he reassured. Sure, it was blood money, but it would still spend.

"Delightful," the smaller man spoke up for the first time. When he opened the caravan to retrieve the cash, Jinxy imagined that he saw claws scraping within it, tails thrashing about. Imagined, certainly. "I can't say it was a pleasure doing business with you," he said, as he flung a rotting leather traveler's bag at Jinxy. "But you'll have to excuse us," he said. "We have a shipment due by dusk."

Jinxy was careful not to open the bag until the caravan had left. He was certain that any hint of distrust would spark the same in them. "Of course," he said carefully. Before disembarking, the short man left Jinxy with a warning. "I wouldn't make a habit of listening in," he added, "or you'll learn all sorts of things you'd rather you hadn't."

If only he knew the breadth of Jinxy's collection.