Theo loved nothing more than curious crowds. He didn't know why this one had gathered, but he didn't have to: whatever was happening at its center kept its members too distracted to notice him slipping among them and picking their pockets, so he was happy with it. Eventually he worked his way into the center of the crowd, close enough to see the tree twitching, and hear it giggle when the woman touched it. He'd managed about as many ill-gotten gains as he could carry, so he might as well check it out.
"Don't suppose you've ever seen one of these before?" he said, the words half-addressed to the woman currently touching the tree and half open for anyone to answer. He wondered if there was a way to turn the tree to a profit -- or if perhaps someone else was already doing so. The movement and giggling would be simple enough effects for an Abandoned with telekinesis and illusion powers to create. Theo didn't see yet how making the tree move would actually benefit anyone, unless the goal had been drawing a crowd to steal from, in which case Theo had already inadvertantly benefitted himself.
"Don't suppose you've ever seen one of these before?" he said, the words half-addressed to the woman currently touching the tree and half open for anyone to answer. He wondered if there was a way to turn the tree to a profit -- or if perhaps someone else was already doing so. The movement and giggling would be simple enough effects for an Abandoned with telekinesis and illusion powers to create. Theo didn't see yet how making the tree move would actually benefit anyone, unless the goal had been drawing a crowd to steal from, in which case Theo had already inadvertantly benefitted himself.
Theo
"Poker" by ND Strupler is licensed with CC BY 2.0.
