### 286

You take hold of the thief roughly by the throat and, using your Kai Mastery to mimic his nasal accent, you say: ‘Accuse your own brother of theft, would you? I’ll teach you to go filching m’things when m’back is turned.’ And with this, you slap him across the top of the head with the back of your hand and snatch back the item he has stolen from you.

The crowd immediately loses interest in what they now believe is just an everyday squabble between two brothers, and they continue about their own business.

The thief is struck dumb by the sheer audacity of your ploy. When you release your grip of his throat, he scurries away into the crowd like a frightened rat.

Turn to 96.