Let's steal a lute from the traders and head for that village with the gypsy.
You decide that perhaps the best way to start your new life is to find an instrument and suck up to some nobles. Barding and all.
You make your way for your first goal: the trade district. Walking to the southern edge of town, you feel the briny wind pick up; perhaps it will storm tonight. The port is busy with sailors and merchants swarming over their cargo. Surely no one would notice in this chaos if one little lute were to go missing.
You enter the southern bazaar, a shanty collection of temporary stalls for travelers to peddle their wares in passing. From store to store you look for something to produce music until you find a small stall packed with foreign fineries. In it is a young, dark skinned elf, his cheeks set high leading to crisp, golden eyes. His aging assistant is carrying boxes back to the ship wearily; they will likely leave tomorrow morning.
As the assistant departs for the ship, you approach the merchant-elf, hawking over his wares.
"I see you're interested in my instruments, mountain-gnome! I've a fine dwarven harpsichord here from our visit to Orschmung, or perhaps this sitar from the men of Garnoway?"
Immediately you see the sitar is much to large for your gnomish self to have any chance of playing properly, although the harpsichord could be manageable. You look rather at a well-crafted string instrument propped up in back of the stall.
"Oh my, you do have fine tastes, good gnome. This would be my personal lute, to draw guests to my wares and for my own pleasure. I gave my best lamb to have its strings made; my brother crafted the body from mahogany. There's no better crafts than us dunmer of Nibans make.
Oh, pardon my rambling. So how about that harpsichord? Gold is always appriciated, but I've made my wealth trading of course."
You look around tentatively. There's a guard posted at the front of the bazaar, but not anywhere near your line of sight. Other shopkeepers and patrons go about their business all around, meaning an outright attack would not go unnoticed. The stall is a small enclosure, the walls are cloth draped from a tent-like frame. The lute sits in the far back, behind the shopkeep. The assistant by now is nearly at the ship, probably 300 yards back. If you want to trade, you only have six copper and your inventory, and there's probably not much of real value at your hovel in town.
What shall you do?