Dark hair fell sloppily across his forehead. For once, the man's face was not painted, and neither was it hidden behind a mask. His natural features faced the world, and though he felt strangely self conscious, it was rare that a face such as his would stand out in a crowd. Though without his face, his clothing did not change much. Today, he wore the same red jacket with a white undershirt. He wore black pants followed by black boots. He did, however, leave his top hat at home. Today was his day out, and he had wanted to surprise Masque with something from the market. While browsing the shops, he had noticed a woman buying something. Normally, this would not have phased the man, for he had been out and seen people shopping everywhere. But in this woman's possession was something sparkling and shimmering. Something Masque would quite enjoy. A sly grin upturned the corners of his lips as he made sure his attention did not sit there long. He left the market that day without buying anything, but following a certain woman who was sure not to notice when the opportunity arose that he could borrow that ruby necklace.

He had thought he had been quite secretive with his following, but apparently she caught sight of him in the grasslands. He was able to tell by her constant glance over his shoulder. He chose to make it quite obvious he was following her, and it seemed to encourage her to keep moving. At least until he could get her into a crowd where it would be less obvious. His wish was granted as she moved into Estolad. Though the hour was late, he still followed -- the glint of the rubies as he imagined them around Masque's neck drove him onward. Once he saw her enter a small Inn, a boyish grin crossed his features. With a hand brushing over his face, his features seemed to melt away, his dark hair seemed to lengthen and turn a beautiful blonde, his skin seeming to darken into a gold tan. His outfit changed as well, into a darker suit with a collar that rose unusually high on his neck. His thin form then moved towards the door of the inn.

Opening the door, he flashed a smile to all who were present, moving among the table seeking his prize. Masque would be quite proud of him. His hand slipped easily into her purse and found the necklace he desired. Only then she made an unexpected turn, and bumped right into him. Alarm spread through him just before he felt her fingers dig into his gloved hand. Withholding a grimace of pain, he dropped the necklace before snapping his finger. Immediately, a pair of spectacles appeared in his had -- an illusion which could get him out of trouble. With his free hand, he grabbed her wrist, as if to tell her to allow him to remove his hand. Pulling both of their hands out of her purse, he showed her the spectacles, attempting to silently explain how they had fallen in there, and he was simply retrieving them. He also made a motion with his hand towards his throat, as if to tell her he could not speak. If she asked, he would be happy to explain, but he did not wish to get too far into the pretense if there was no need. If she would let his story slide as was, he would not pursue it further.

{OOC: Eck. Sorry for the wait. And the lousy post...>> I'll do better next time.}

Bandit was quite shocked when he found himself literally pulled from the Inn, the woman's frame very short in comparison to him. It must have looked quite awkward as well, for many a patron turned his head to glance at them. Being pulled back through the doors in which he had entered, Bandit was ready to halt their movements, apologize for the 'misunderstanding' and leave. He'd find Masque something elsewhere, and she need not know of his blunder. Eyes widened in surprise as she pressed him against the wall, quite a feat since his new idenitity was taller and more broad than she. Moving his hand slowly, he placed the spectacles into his jacket pocket, not wanting them to be visible when the illusion faded away, which it would shortly. He then made a motion to his throat before tucking his blonde hair behind his ear. So she did not believe him. Without Masque here, surely a couple of words would not hurt. Masque would forgive him if she ever found out. She could never stay mad at him for very long.

Carefully, he pulled away the high collar of his shirt, revealing a deep scar across his throat. The thick, light pink mark which was apparently made by a sword, and though not recent, seemed to be within the last couple of years. He pressed against the scar with his hands, running his finger along the edge of it, making sure it was seen. Then, with a raspy voice which was just above a whisper, he tried to explain what happened. "My vocal chords." He stopped, trying to catch his breath and rest his aching vocals. "Harmed." He stoppeed attempting to speak, using his hands once again to lift the collar back to cover the mark.

He looked down at the woman, pressing her back away from his slowly, his hands moving to dust off the nice jacket, making sure it was not ruined from the rough treatment it had recieved today. He made quick hand gestures to show his apology, then to show his collar once again, as if to say the scar made people uncomfortable so he covered it. Truly falling into the role he had adapted, Bandit gave the woman a small smile, then a wink as he finished cleaning himself off, prepared to re-enter the Inn.