[Vinsue] One Cog Moves Another II

[Vivian]

32nd of Ash, 4622

“Oh.” Vivian watched as she scrubbed out the x and wrote a dot. He was still confused. So if 2+2 and 2x2 were the same thing why use the dot symbol at all? It became slightly more clear when she did 2x3. Now it became different. 2+3 would have been five. 2x3 was six. “So two x four is eight?” He asked. He looked at her word problem and nodded. It was more practical with real things. If he stole three bags with two cookies apiece he’d have six. “Six.” He said with a smirk.

Vivian eyed the division symbol. “How many times something goes into itself…” he muttered. He stared at
The four. How many times does four go into two? It didn’t. It couldn’t possibly work that way. So two had to go into four, twice? He picked up the chalk and wrote two next to the division problem. “Two goes into four twice, and four can’t go into two, so it’s got to be two?” He asked questioningly.

His brain was beginning to hurt. “Alright. Say I work on a page of this tonight. Want to learn some of the principles of larceny?” He asked with a grin. That was much more fun than math.

[Vinsue]

He was understanding it. This made her smile. She gave a nod when he answered the cookie problem. She nodded again when he answered 8 to his own problem. 6 cookies "you got it," she said.

How many times something goes into itself he had said. "Well kinda. It's how many times the second number goes into the first." She said but he seemed to already figure that out. He asked 2 as an answer. She smiled and gave a nod. "One more on division first. We got to do a real world problem first to help you remember. Got a rag or something to erase the board with?" Once she had something she would erase the board.

"A noble has nine coins and 3 pockets. He believes one of his pockets may get picked before he can get home so he decides to put an equal number of coins in each pocket to minimize the amount that might be stolen."

She drew 9 small circles and put a nine beside it. She then drew 3 pockets. "You manage to take all the coins he has in two pockets. How many coins did you get? How many did you miss?" She would hand him the chalk. "First find out how many coins are in each pocket." She would say and wait for him to figure out the first part. She would help only if he needed it. But once he had it figured out she would nod, wipe off the board, and climb off the chair. At this point she could see that she had started melting his brain. But at least he understood it. And she had not failed at teaching him something.


"now I'm ready. So what's first?" She would ask. She was excited to learn about theft. She was even more excited to be able to use it.

[Vivian]

Vivian beamed, and pulled the shirt tails out of his pants to rub away the chalk with. White shirt, white chalk, who could tell the difference anyway? He cleaned off the chalkboard for her, shook out his shirt, and waited for the problem. He liked it. A noble had three pockets, and out of nine coins put an equal amount into each to reduce the amount being stolen. That was a clever idea, since picking two pockets on one man was generally considered a poor idea. Unless his pants were around his ankles, his head leaned back and his eyes closed. That was the type of theft Vivian specialized in.

He smirked, and drew three coins in each pocket, then crossed out two pockets. A quick moment to tally. “I got six and missed three, he had three in each pocket.” He told her proudly. He was getting a bit brain fried, and was relieved when she hopped down. He slid the chalkboard back into place, replaced the chalk, and dusted off his hands.

“Right, first principle of thievery is that a man is your easiest target. Men don’t pay attention. Women do. They’re so aware of what’s happening to their bodies that even if you’re not going for a grab, just her purse, you’re likely going to get an elbow in the face. They’re hyper aware of con men, or at least the smart ones are, so stick to the dumber sex rather than the fairer.” Vivian chuckled. “Secondly, men are easy to distract. A little loosening of that bodice of yours, a little water sprinkled on there, and you’ll have their attention firmly fixed on your chest not where your hands are going. I’m not one to get distracted by girls, but I know what men are looking for.”

He gestured at her. “Show me how you’d distract a mark. Modify your clothing, put on a good cute look, see what you can do to get a man’s eyes down.”

[Vinsue]

Seems her math student was a quick learner. Hopefully she will be too. She gave an approving nod as he answered her question. Yes 3 coins per pocket, Vivian gets 6 and the noble only keeps 3. Technically written this problem would look something like (9÷3)×2= but that would be tomorrow's lesson. Now it was her turn to learn

Men are easier marks, and easier to district. This was not a surprising concept. He was right, women expect men to try to get away with touching her and they were going to teach the violator a lesson be it an elbow or a back hand. Women are also not as easily distracted by the body unless the man is super handsome, shirtless and has a 6 pack. And even then messing with them is a mistake.

Vinsue nodded. Then undone a few buttons. She repositioned her breasts to make them look bigger and made a cute smile then looked back at Vivian. But she did have a few questions. "This might work back home where people know what a gnome is. But honestly here people think I'm a kid." She asked. Men should not be interested in kids. That and breast height was about the same as pocket height.

[Vivian]

Vivian smirked, and nodded. "Not with those tits they won't." he countered. "Besides the most famous prostitutes in the slums of Daravin have been shorties like you. Trust me, men like a girl they can pick up and throw around a bit. Besides, to you everything looks bigger, and some men need the ego boost. When I say you're distracting trust me sweetling, you're distracting." he reached down and patted her cheek. "Right. So a man's eyes are going to go right for those breasts, and then up at those big expressive eyes. He's not going to be seeing you as a threat, just like they don't see a weedy, feminine man as a threat. You're going to take that misconception and beat him with it, right?"

He smirked and gestured at her shoes. "Right, next lesson. Shoes off. You're going to have to learn how to pad around like a cat. It's easy on carpet, and always easier when you're barefoot. Let's see if you can sneak up on Bara, my mule. He's got wonderful ears, so you'll have to sneak from here. What I want you thinking is...where would a mule be on this property? Outside, surely, but do you remember spotting a fenced yard on your way in? Perhaps a small stable? Observation is a thief's best tool. So sneak outside. Make sure to keep your weight between your legs, move slowly and carefully. You'll have to be slow to sneak up on him; he's a draft mule."

Vivian gestured out to the hallway, and clasped his hands behind his back like an expectant schoolteacher.

[Vinsue]

Vinsue frowned, giving him the stink eye. Her boobs weren't that small. And how is one supposed to make a jumpsuit look cute? OK yes she probably needs better clothing. But regular clothes were no good when working and much harder to find in a giant country. She was taken from her thoughts when he patted her on the cheek. She eventually nodded. She would use whatever was needed and assuming she was harmless was a big mistake.

She looked down at her shoes. Pad around? O' OK he ment sneaking. She can do that and it should be easy. Right? She took off her shoes. Than remembered he said not to leave stuff where they could be found. "Um, where can I put this?" She asked then put them down. What mattered was observation, being slow, and being quiet.

Vinsue walked to the door and soon started down the hall. She slowly walked down the hall taking note of any possible hiding places. One foot, shift weight, other foot." She would immediately hide in doorways and behind furniture at the slightest sound. It was all going well until she got to the kitchen. Where she tripped over something on the floor and crashed into a rack of pots and pans. Immediately she hid in a cabinet. Ok maybe the mule wouldn't see her but the cook was a different story. By what she saw earlier the cook would not like her sneaking around the kitchen, and the point of this experience was to not get caught. She would wait for a bit before slowly opening the cabinet and sliding out.

The second she had a chance she quickly walked to the door. She was very slow to open it to make sure not to make a sound. A few steps and she hid again. This time she hid behind a bush as she tried to remember where the barn was.

[Vivian]

"Thinking on your feet is also part of being a thief." Vivian chided playfully. The moment she put her shoes down, he waited until she left the room to open his window and lightly chuck them into the back garden. He followed her slowly down the hallway, listening for her. She was quieter than normal, but still loud. At least she was trying to be situationally aware. He smirked, watching her scurry from one little area to the next and head for the kitchen. That was when things went bad. A huge crash arose in the kitchen, pots and pans hitting the tile floor and rolling around.

Vivian hurried to the doorway, wincing at the familiar angry roar. Vinsue tucked herself into a cabinet just as the cook stormed in. He saw Vivian, glaring angrily. "It's not enough you hang about here, now you've got to make a mess?!" he snarled. Vivian held up his hands, but the cook obviously wasn't buying it. The man huffed at him and began to pick up the pots and pans. Vivian helped him a moment, keeping his eyes peeled for Vinsue. He saw her slip out the back door, and he followed behind her.

Would she head across the lawn to the barn? Bara was grazing peacefully, flicking an ear lazily. He had his back to Vinsue, browsing the grass.

[Vinsue]

Kaiko managed not to laugh when her teacher got caught for her mess. But it wasn't an easy task. It also, however, seemed to distract her teacher. Even if it was an accident it was a clever distraction. Now no one shall know where she was. Or at least that was her thought.

Luckily outside she did not need to get to the barn as the mule was out and actually not that far away. Vinsue quickly braided her hair as she looked across the open field. She didn't want to look like a lion or get her hair messy. As it was a mess as it was without all the extra dirt, and any of the grass would take hours to get out of her hair. Not to mention moving red fluff would give away her position.

Obviously she would now simply need to be soundless. She also noted the brown but bombs scattered about. Since hiding places were not there, her best chance at hiding was to crawl. But crawling ment a higher chance of getting poop on her clothing. He better have a place to wash her clothing, she thought.

Vinsue got down on her belly and started to crawl across the yard. Slowly, carefully stopping anytime the mule moved. Carefully dodging the poop piles. As she got closer she realized just how stupid this action was. To sneak up on a mule would scare the pore thing. And a scared mule attacks. They stomp and bite and are fast. What on earth was she thinking?

Vinsue instantly stood up, turned, and ran towards the barn. She even stepped in a pile of poop but did not stop as she reached the stable and started looking for a place to hide. She hid in a pile of hay and started listening to see if the animal had followed her.

[Vivian]

Vivian did feel slightly guilty about the cook. The man was brusque but not an evil sort, like many in the Degare estate. They'd had to learn to survive under a tyrant and he could hardly blame them for wanting everything neat and in order. He made a mental note to either blow him or do some dishes for him later. Perhaps both. He crept steadily toward the barn and Bara. The mule lifted his head and swiveled an ear back toward Vivian, well accustomed to the scent of his master. However as Vivian didn't seem to be bringing grain or cookies, the mule greeted him with a warm little rumble and returned to his grazing.

Vivian caught the sight of red fluffy hair for a moment, then movement on the ground. Clever. So she was trying to disguise her scent among the dried mule dung and dust of the paddock. Bara was a clean animal, but even he had very little compunctions about eliminating waste wherever he pleased. Vivian smirked. So she was going to do it. Bara wasn't going to kick her; he didn't startle easily. When she leapt up and bolted into the small barn, he lifted his head. His long ears went forward and he flared his nostrils, sniffing after her. He waited for a few minutes, finishing up the mouthful of grass in his cheeks, then bent his head to browse for clover.

"C'mon, girl." Vivian muttered under his breath. She had to make a move sometime didn't she?

[Vinsue]

She rested in the hay for a little while. Her thoughts going back home to when she and the other kids would scare each other. Sometimes it worked and sometimes it did not. But it was a game. This was actual practice.

She would pop her head out of the hay and look around. Seeing that the creature had not followed, she crept to the door and looked out. The mule had not moved. Had she run for nothing? It appeared so. She decided to climb out the back side of the barn through a window. She leaped out and landed with a role. She carefully wiped the mule poop off of her foot before she got down on her belly again.this time she would make a wide circle. She moved slowly and carefully. She stopped every time one of the others looked towards her. She tried her best to not be seen by either of them. Again she was dodging poop. Again she was making progress.

This time however she was carefully sneaking around the pair. She also was more focused on Vivian and hoped to sneak up on him more than his pet though they were together and it would require more sneaking than just one set of eyes.

She got ever closer and stopped. She would take a deep soundless breath before she got any closer. She would then hold her breath and slowly rise to a crouched position for the last few steps. This time she stayed behind Vivian untill she was close enough to tap him on the leg. "Boo!" She yelled. More hoping to surprise her teacher than his pet.