(Connected to Arresting Offences)

“So do you like your new job"”

“Yeah! I feel kinda bad that I have broken some plates though,” she answered sheepishly, “Hey, when are you going to get one that isn’t working at the stables"” Sylva asked the young man who was walking with her as they strolled down main street. She couldn’t help but think he was sulking under his hood with the way he was slouched over.

“I like working at the stable plus I get to ride the horses all I want and I get to practice my sword out in the field without being bothered.” Cratos was unphased by her question and had grown accustomed to her frequently asking questions. She was a curious creature and there was nothing wrong with that.

“Hmm.” She could see his point. “Ms. Nicole is really nice. All of Maggie’s family that I have met is nice.” She was lucky to know and have a friend in Maggie. Not just because it got her a job but because it made her life all that much richer.

“Hm' Oh, hey! What is that"” Cratos moved ahead of her to pick the black item laying on the ground. “Looks like a purse. Must be that lady who was ahead of us.” Cratos explained.

“Oh!” She snatched the purse from him and started out into a run in hopes to catch up with the lady and give it back. “I’ll catch up with you at home!” She told Cratos before she turned a corner and was out of sight.

“Hey you! Stop”

Sylva didn’t think it was someone calling out to her. It wasn’t a familiar voice.

“I said stop! If you don’t stop I will shoot!”

The word shoot gained her attention and she slowed to look over her shoulder to see what was going on. She saw some short person..chasing her" And the moment she had turned her head a tall man came around the corner, catching her shoulder with one hand and her arm holding the purse with his other.

“Gotcha!”

She bowled right into the man but was more startled by the fact he was grabbing her in such a way. Her eyes went up to the man who had her, the footfall of the guy behind them quickly coming up. “Wh-wha"”

“We saw you steal this.” The taller of the two men said as his grasp crawled up her arm until it was holding her wrist.

“I did not! I was bringing it back to that lady” Sylva protested quickly.

“That is not what we saw,” the shorter of the two exclaimed, trying to catch his breath. After a few puffs he took out a pair of cuffs attached to his belt, “You are coming down to the station, young lady.” *Click* Went the first cuff into place while the partner lowered her other arm.

“I didn’t do anything wrong!” Sylva whined out in another protest and since she felt the taller man’s grip on her loosen she quickly yanked herself from his grasp, sliding herself back from the two of them. The purse was quickly dropped, as if it were hot lava in her palm and instead that hand quickly went into her messenger bag, fingers grasping around a piece of carved jade.

“Where the hell do you think you are going"!” The taller one shouted and grabbed at her arm, forcing her hand from the bag. Seeing the piece of jade between her fingers he quickly yanked it away. “What is this" Something else you stole"”

Sylva’s eyes went wide and she made a grab at the jade horse. “N-NO! That is mine!” She grabbed the man’s hand, trying to wrestle the precious item free.

“Why would a child like you have something like this" Don’t lie to us! You stole it!” The man popped her face with his knuckles to throw her off.

Instead he found her biting his hand, just short of the jade horse he happened to be holding. It wasn’t no light bite, either. She sank her teeth, fangs and all, into the man’s flesh. His skin tasted like cigarettes and beer, his blood no better. As gross as it was to her, she had no intentions on letting go.

The man howled out and while the shorter man grasped at her cuffed hand. “You little brat! Let go!” While he had gently rapped her across the face the first time, this time his knuckles met her face with a solid punch. Instead of letting go, she bit down harder. It caused the taller man to punch and he didn’t cease until she relented.

When she did release the shorter of the two men used her arm to pull her away, throwing her to the ground. “You’ve done it now, girl! Instead of just going in for a simple case of thievery now you are going in for assaulting an officer.”

She spat out a chunk of flesh she had ripped from the taller man’s hand, “He..took..my-”

Before she could even finish the tall man had torn up the distance between them and drew his leg back before swift kicking the fallen Sylva right in the gut. “Shut up, bitch.” He snarled down while planting two more kicks into the girl’s torso.

Despite the kicks, she made no sound other than the woosh of air leaving her lungs and the wheezing afterward. She didn’t fight back. Would not fight back. How could she? If she attacked them more than she already had she would be in more trouble and if she killed them' She would be no better than she was back then - becoming that monster she was trying not to be anymore.

“Hey! Hey! That is enough, Crosley. Think the kid has learned her lesson.” the shorter guy said as he turned her onto her stomach and finished cuffing her hands behind her back.

“Whatever.” Crosley spat. “She isn’t a kid, Lambert! She is one of those monsters running around. Look at those teeth marks. She’s got fangs! Probably killed those people last week we found drained of blood in the back allies a few months ago.” He snarled as both men reached down, grabbing under one of Sylva’s arms and dragging her up to her feet.

Dazed and completely confused she was dragged all the way to the jailhouse, tossed into a closed off cell in the back of the building. The two men said something that was lost on her. Her head was still ringing and hell if she had any idea were she was. She managed to plant her rear on the ground with her back to the wall which was terribly uncomfortable with her hands still cuffed. She didn’t complain, didn’t scream out about the injustice of it. She just sulked and waited - for what? She wasn't sure.