She was beautiful, but I knew that before I took the job. I was warned, in fact. But I am a professional, after all, and rightly trusted with not falling for a pretty face. Especially with what else I knew about her.
It took me a while to track her down, had to pull a few strings the count wouldn't have appreciated knowing about. Didn't need to know about them, either, even if things didn't go so smoothly from here. She was standing at a seedy bar near the edge of town, but she couldn't get out. I knew that much; the town watch was searching every woman who left town for anyone who matched her description well enough. Like it would be hard to identify a Fox amid nothing but humans and elves.
Sure, I understood why she didn't stand out here. Long, hooded cloaks were in fashion that month, so she hardly stood out using that kind of attire to hide the more vulpine features. She knew just how to arrange things to look perfectly human, but I knew her by the rest of the description. Bright red hair, dark blue eyes, a little on the short side, tanned complexion. There were a lot of other details I committed to memory at the time, and forgot once I didn't need them anymore. Which wasn't right after recognizing her at the bar, mind you.
She noticed me coming in, but no more than anyone else did. I looked like some freelance soldier in leather armor, one of the many sorts that were common in this kind of bar--and that's what I was. That's why I was right for the job. Because I'm trustworthy, and I wouldn't arouse suspicion from the outset.
She wasn't just pretty, like I said before. She was fast. Real good at hiding. They only knew what she looked like because the count had his mages perform some complicated scrying ritual around the crime scene, so they could literally look into the past. But apparently she wasn't completely invincible; there were holes she couldn't slip through, or she'd be out of town by now. Then again, the count wasn't desperate to catch her until the deed was done. Obviously didn't know she existed before then. Why attract so much attention in the first place?
After all, for a thief in that town there was plenty of money to be made without stealing three of the ruler's priceless magical artifacts. But the reasons weren't so important to me. Not near as important as getting 'em back. The only question now was how.
I couldn't just jump her in the middle of the bar. She would react too fast, dodge any kind of sucker punch, slip out of my grasp. Declare a barfight or call me an old ex-lover, get the whole place up against me. No, I had to do something a little less straightforward than that. I could try to talk to her, maybe lure her outside somehow. Or I could wait for her to leave, follow her to somewhere a little more isolated..maybe expose her ears in view of some guardsmen. No reason I couldn't stay here all night, this was my only job at the time after all. After some thought, I decided to...
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From: http://mspaforums.com/showthread.php?49134-The-Longest-Flashback-Fantasy-Text-1-Catching-the-Fox
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