How to Pickpocket a Pickpocket

Chapter 1

Artis knew an opportunity when she saw one. It was as obvious as daylight. It was the way how a person walked, the way they carried their purses, the way the talked and acted. Take someone who was carrying 10 septims for example; they walk cautiously, carefully and tend to look around every now and then in search for pickpockets. They were cautious of the little gold they had in fear of losing it.

Those type of people Artis usually avoided, not seeing the use of stealing if there wasn't much to steal.

Now, the other type of person, the wealthy kind, walked with confidence, a spring in their step and never seemed to be bothered checking their surroundings. They didn't fear losing their possessions, meaning they had many. An obvious trademark of theirs was their purses, which were tied loosely around their belts, pulling the tunics down with the weight. Another thing Artis usually was on the lookout for, was the secret pockets and flaps in people's clothing. That was where the good stuff was hidden, also the trickier part to pickpocket.

Artis lived for those secret pockets. How else would she be able to afford the small house in Whiterun she had her eye on for quite a while now? She had enough flawless garnets and sapphires in her bag, as well as septims to afford the house, as well as a few furniture pieces. But getting off topic here. She was a pickpocket and the best in her opinion (in all of Whiterun and Falkreath at least). She didn't look the part though. Instead of the outfits with the spacious pockets, she wore less obvious clothing; a simple leather armor and boots with bracers. It was, in her opinion, a cover for being a hunter instead if a pickpocket. It worked for her.

She wasn't just talented in pickpocketing and lock picking. She had quite an aim with a bow and a blow with a sword. She preferred the sword though, since it was faster to draw when enemies were nearby and didn't need to be quirked an arrow into. With the specific steel blade she had, she had killed a good amount of dangerous animals that crossed her path between towns and cities. Artis blamed it on her Nord blood. It was unusual for a Nord and Imperial to fall in love, but her parents did and that's how she came into the world of Tamriel.

Her mother, an Imperial, was skilled in the history and art of magika, alchemy and enchantments. As a little girl, she used to teach Artis the basic spells, how to create simple minor health and stamina potions and how to enchant daggers and small objects like rings and amulets. Her father, a Nord, taught her how to defend herself against threats. He made her her first longbow and taught her to shoot at basic targets, before letting her practice on animals when he took her with him on hunting trips. Her swordsmanship first started to develop when she was 10 years old with a simple wooden sword. When her farther, a Stormcloak, noticed a hidden fire within her when she trained, he replaced her wooden sword with a blunt blade and started teaching her the art of sword fighting.

She used to live with her parents in their home in Riverwood, in the middle of Whiterun and Falkreath. They weren't the richest people in Skyrim, but they managed. Her father was usually out fighting with the Stormcloaks and was seldom home. Her mother had a humble occupation brewing potions and selling them to the trader and whoever might need them. When turning 15, Artis was sent out to Whiterun and Falkreath on a regular basis to buy supplies, which were hard to come by in a small town for her mother. On one of her first trips to Falkreath, she saw a young boy, only a few years older than her, steal unnoticeably from a woman in the street. However, he caught her staring at him in shock and only smirked at her before scurrying off.

The sight of the boy stealing without getting caught, bothered Artis for quite a while. She was taught that stealing was wrong and only thieves did it because they were dishonest and too lazy to work for their earnings. As far as she was brought up, her family, the Rodansks, were honest and unafraid to work to earn their food. She, however, was the one to drag the good name Rodansk through the mud one winter day. As usual, Artis was sent out to buy her mother some rare ingredients for potions in Whiterun. As she left Arcadia's Cauldron, she saw a woman purchasing a shiny, elegant golden ring at one of the market stands. Her eyes followed the ring to the pocket where the woman slipped it in. If she had any of the gold left her mother gave her, she would've asked the woman if she could buy the ring from her. Instead, she thought that she might try her luck and approached the woman nonchalantly. The moment her shoulder bumped into the woman's, her hand slipped into the pocket and took hold of the ring. While both of them apologized to each other, Artis hid the ring in her fist and walked wide circles around the woman towards the gates of Whiterun. It was her first successful pickpocketing and she kind of liked the rush it gave her.

Over the years Artis practiced her thieving skills, pickpocketing, picking locks and sneaking around and became quite good at it. Her parents sometimes wondered why their septims seemed to magically increase, but never suspected her. They blamed it on her father's tendency to forget due to all the wars he has to fight and her mother's paranoid mind that believed she missed to count them the last time. That way Artis felt like she was doing her part to provide for her family. It might not be the honest and humble way her parents taught her, but it was what she was good at and it seemed to work.

Being half-Nord and half-Imperial made Artis exceptionally skilled in both magika and fighting. She was a quick learner and was against the idea of choosing only one skill to master. When she turned 18, she was the best female fighter in Riverwood, despite being so young. Some people would almost dare to say that she was better than Ralof, a Stormcloak soldier like her father who she was friends with. They never battled each other to find out who was the best though, instead they held friendly drinking contests and finally had a competition to see who could keep their balance after both of them got drunk. Artis would always win, since Ralof might be stronger and bigger than her, he was a big oaf and not as balanced and light on his feet as she was.

Artis did spar with her other friend Hadvar when he wasn't fighting in the war. He was an Imperial Soldier, meaning when people saw his armor they usually sent him death glares and took him as a traitor to all Nords. He, however, ignored their negative remarks and only followed his orders, knowing well that if he didn't, he would suffer the consequences. Even though Artis' father didn't approve of her being friends with an Imperial soldier, she chose to hang out with him by the river, where they practiced fighting and self-defense.

One day, Artis' mother told her to make a trip to Riften, since she heard that a new shipment of ingredients was being dropped off there, containing a nirnroot, a rare ingredient that she needed to create a new potion. Artis has never been farther than Whiterun and Falkreath before and was slightly afraid of heading out alone to a part of Skyrim she didn't know. She was twenty winters old that time. When the day arrived she had to start travelling, she stacked her bag with food, extra clothes for when the armor got uncomfortable, a few healing and stamina potions and an extra steel dagger for in case she needed it. Before she left she swung her hunting bow over her shoulder, adjusted her quiver, sheathed her steel blade properly and bid her mother farewell. This was going to be a long trip, so she made sure that her mother had enough septims in her purse before she left.

On her way, she passed a traveler with two horses and purchased one from him, secretly pickpocketing him as he saddled up the horse and almost recovered the total ammount of the gold she had given him. She briefly named the black and white mare Bandit before riding onwards with ease. While on the bumpy, uneven, curvy road, Artis put a lot of thought into what she might find in Riften. She did not have the slightest idea what to expect or who she'll meet along the way. The only thought that did make her smile, was the thought of the precious jewels and septims she'll steal once she arrived in Riften.