(I'm just biding my time, waiting for someone else to post..*not-so-subtle hint*

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((sorry, I've been meaning to post but I've been busy!))

Gabriel started after the man, but quickly lost track of him in the crowd. Lisette brushed past him. "I'll find him." she said. Soon she too was lost from Gabriel's sight. Gabriel moved back to where Belle was. "Are you hurt?" he asked as he offered a hand to help her up.

Belle, a little shaken, grasped his hand. "I - I think I'm all right," she said uncertainly, brushing off her skirt. Her forearms and the heels of her hands had nasty scrapes where she'd tried to break her fall, but other than that she seemed fine.

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"What just happened?" demanded Rene, walking over hurriedly. He had just seen the tail-end of events as he passed on one of his many rounds, but hadn't really seen enough to understand what had occured.

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Annalett was a bit too far way to see or hear what was going on. She kept painting. Right now she was busy painting a plump lady's portrait. The plump lady offered three gold coins for her portrait to be painted...

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(}--{)Imagination Inspires Ideas -Zandain(}--{)
Married Cloud Strife 9/17/08

Gabriel helped Belle stand up. He turned her hand over, looking at the scrapes on it. "Better get those cleaned off." he said.

Lisette was weaving quickly through the crowed in the direction she had seen the man go. He was probably moving towards the edges of the crowd.

"I - he tripped me," said Belle helplessly. "Yes, I will," she told Gabriel as an aside. "I...I don't know why, I was only dancing."

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Muttering several cross words under his breath, Rene turned on his heel and stalked off, to go check on all the others.

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Evelyn came onto the scene quickly and rushed over to Belle and Gabriel.

"What happened?"

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The waves that C R A S H E D upon
The R O C K S that you were trying to step along

And in my head I heard them play a S O N G

"It's all right, I'm fine," said Belle in a small voice, detesting the sudden attention. She winced, rubbing her hands on her skirt. They were hurting fiercely now, most of the skin gone and blood welling from a few places.

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Lisette caught up with the man in the coat as he tried to move through an especially crowded street. She got close to him-he wouldn't notice with all the other people jostling against each other. She gently reached into his pocket she had seen him put the coins into. Carefully wrapping her fingers around them, she drew them out of his pocket and slid them into her own without him noticing.

Lisette turned and quickly walked back to where Belle and the others were. "Here's what that "lame" man took." she said, holding out the coins.

Calming down after walking around quite a bit, Rene then resumed his rounds of the area, checking up on every one of the gypsies except for Mirielle..whom he couldn't find anywhere.

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Belle looked relieved. "Oh, thank you," she said gratefully to Lisette. "I was so disappointed to lose all of them."

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Therese reshuffled her cards as the couple who had just had their fortunes told left. She gazed at the small purse of coins attached to her side. Her eyes narrowed with detest knowing that a few of the copper bits jingling inside had come from snatching money off of people who had come in. She was not as good at is as Dashiell but she managed to get a customer with a loose bag of money every so often.

Dashiell simply continued playing his flute. The dancer's behind him changed occasionally but he didn't really notice. As he played, his eyes flickered toward a clock tower. Soon someone would have to take over for him while he went to go try and get some money off of the two Gypsy Vanner foals they had.

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