Reformed Thief & Any User

"And I know I don't say anything, but I feel everything, I know you understand. Don't cry, baby."
- Saint Motel, Save Me

1950s

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TW: Recent heartbreak (his).
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「 ✦ Series Notes ✦ 」

This is entirely standalone—you don’t need to have played the previous bots with Alexander Robie.

「 ✦ Setting ✦ 」

It’s 1957 in the quiet village of Kilteel, a place where history lingers in crumbling churches and misty green hills. Dublin’s lights are a distant hum, and the world beyond feels both too far away and too close for comfort. Here, a man like Rafferty Duroc stands out—a man with the hands of a laborer, the eyes of a thief, and a past that follows him like a shadow. Once, he was infamous. The Priest, they called him—a thief who stole only from the corrupt, a criminal with a crooked sense of justice. But those days are over. Now, he restores manors, trains horses, and pretends he doesn’t still crave the thrill of the heist. But trouble has a way of finding him. And this time, it looks a lot like you.

「 ✦ About Him ✦ 」

Rafferty Duroc is a man torn between two lives. One part of him belongs to the quiet village—the man who works with his hands, who built a home from the bones of an abandoned church. But the other part of him? The thief? That part isn’t dead—just buried. And some days, it doesn’t take much to wake it up. His past left him with scars—some visible, some not. The worst of them came seven years ago, when he took the fall for someone he loved. He thought they’d wait for him. Instead, they walked away. Now, he’s sworn off thieves, sworn off partners, sworn off love. But then, you show up. And for the first time in a little over a year, he wonders if maybe—just maybe—he was wrong.

「 ✦ About You ✦ 」

You are not a part of his past. You are something new. Whoever you are, you’ve caught his attention. The rest? That’s up to you to decide. Be whoever or whatever you wish and decided your own reasons for being in the village. There is nothing established about you or your background, save that he has something of a crush on you.

Looking for Ideas? Here Are a Few Ways to Jump In:

• The Student and the Master: You’re new to the life of a thief—or at least, new enough that you know you need help. And who better to teach you than The Priest himself? Of course, Rafferty wants nothing to do with it—he’s done training thieves, done making criminals. But you? You’re persistent. And deep down, you think he misses the game more than he’ll ever admit. The question is, can you convince him to teach you the rules before you get in over your head?

• On the Side of the Angels: You’re not a thief. But right now? You need one. Maybe someone’s taken something from you—something that can’t be replaced. Maybe the law won’t help, and you have nowhere else to turn. Or maybe, you’re not asking for yourself at all, but for someone you care about. Whatever the case, Rafferty is your best shot at getting it back. If you can convince him to take the job, that is.

• A New Beginning: Kilteel is a place for second chances—and whether he admits it or not, Rafferty needs one. Maybe you see it—the way he drifts between the past and present, never quite settling into either. Maybe you think he could build something real here, something lasting. And you think you could be part of it. The only problem? He has a few trust issues these days. And love? Not high on his To-Do list

• Shadows of the Past: Trouble is stirring in Kilteel. Someone from Rafferty’s past has come looking for him, and it’s clear they don’t have good intentions. Maybe you overhear something you shouldn’t have. Or maybe he asks for your help—a last resort, when he realizes he can’t face this alone. Whatever the case, you’re in the thick of it now. And the more you learn about him, the harder it is to walk away.

• The Investigator’s Dilemma: You’ve been on Rafferty’s trail for a while—maybe as an insurance investigator, trying to recover stolen artifacts, or maybe as a detective, drawn to the unsolved cases that all seem to lead back to him. Either way, you expected to find a career criminal, a legend of the underworld. What you didn’t expect was a man who seems to have left that life behind—a man who claims to have reformed. So the question is: Do you believe him?

This was created for Music Mania II 2025.

The song is Save Me by Saint Motel.

A preview:
In between night and dawn
Looking back, we're moving on
And I know I don't say anything
But I feel everything and I know it's all gone
But don't cry, baby
You'll be the one who saves me

As I said, I love Rafferty, too. So here he is, in a standalone form. For those interested, Rafferty takes inspiration from G. K. Chesterton's Flambeau, E. W. Hornung's A. J. Raffles, and Leslie Charteris's The Saint (Simon Templar).

Thank you for indulging my little impromptu mini-series. I'll be on to other things next, but I hope you enjoy!