A cool breeze gently blew her brown hair across her face as she walked down the street of Adeluna City. The sky was covered in grey clouds signaling the turn to a colder climate. Glaciem was coming. It was still the season of Venti now but soon the cold would become harsher. Market stalls were selling wool blankets and dried food to store during the snowy season. For some of the richer townspeople, this would be a time of celebration and warmth. For those who could barely even afford a decent pair of shoes, this would be a time of worry and death.

Even for the middle class Glaciem would be a bit of a challenge unless they were a part of the upper middle class. Mariah herself knew all too well what it used to be like to have little money. Although if one looked at her, she would not hold the appearance of anybody who had once begged for food. Light blue satin hung off her shoulders, flowing down to her ankles. The dress was clearly expensive as were the silver slippers she lightly walked in. Clutched in Mariah’s hand was a little white pouch that was fat with little metal circles presumed to be coins. Behind the elf lady was a tall man covered in a common grey and white robe.

“Come Lander.” Mariah spoke with a soft warm voice, “We have to get several tasks done today so we can’t dawdle.”

Lander simply nodded with a small smile and followed Mariah through the crowded marketplace. It was obvious that Lander was there to protect her as a bodyguard and yet he had no weapons. Amber eyes scanned the market place as if looking for something specific.

“Lander, you can go and explore this area for yourself. I won’t mind.” She said with a gentle smile.

The robed mage did not take long to understand what Mariah meant and left to get lost within the crowd. A wooden market stall selling freshly baked breads caught her attention. The goods smelled warm and delicious so she allowed herself to wander over to the stall. Her hand reached out and grabbed a rather large loaf of bread. She slipped her hand into her pouch and plucked out enough silver coins to pay for the food.

Seeing through her peripheral vision, there was a little boy who was clinging to his father’s leg. That child was not interesting to Mariah since it was clear that he was already taken up. She kept her eyes alert for children that might have been on their own or lost. As a true mother, it was her duty to ensure that all children were…taken care of. They had delicate minds that needed to be protected and morphed into what was required for life. What was required for her. Mariah waited at the stall a moment later before moving to the next. This stall was selling all types of jewelry. One specific piece caught Mariah’s eye. It had a blue teardrop stone surrounded by sharp metal.

“Why is the metal around the stone so sharp?” She asked the merchant.

“It is meant to be both beautiful and deadly. The metal is shaped so that you could stab somebody in the eye with it. To be used as defence of course.”

Mariah pretended to drop interest in the object. In truth, she would have liked to bought the necklace but the majority of her spending money was not with her at the moment. How long would this take? She spent a few more moments looking at the jewelry pieces. The little white pouch with metal pieces inside it was loosely hanging in her left hand. 

A swift gust of colder wind bit into Xeik as he gazed upon his next target from the rooftops. Down in the bustling crowd, it was probably chilly, but manageable. Up here, without buildings to block the wind, nor the heat of the people, Xeik found himself a little colder than he would have liked. His eyes scanned for the second person who had been with the woman. He was nowhere to be seen.

Odd. The boy frowned. Another breeze came, blowing about his hair. He didn’t like that the other adult disappeared into the crowd. It could be a problem. I miss Lewis already. His partner in crime would be arriving back in Hoja about now, taking temporary control over Heaven’s Dawn while Xeik was away.

He sighed. On one hand, Danwe’s teachings would have steered him clear of this particular mark due to the short time period he had tailed her, plus the unknown factors of the other male and possibly more guards about. On the other hand, it looked to be the easiest of marks. If it was one actual guard plus the woman, Xeik could be gone in a flash.

She almost looked like new money, which meant she wouldn’t know how to guard against thieves. That was something that he might have going for him should he choose to take the mark.

The boy dropped down to an alleyway, and took a sip of something. Immediately he felt the effects of the philter.

It wasn’t too much longer before a cute girl in a long skirt and tunic found her way down the street, her sharp blue eyes pretending to pass the stalls in awe. Her hair was down to her mid back, tied off in a nifty little ponytail as she wandered from one stall to the next. Finally, she found herself next to the mark.

“Oh. This is pretty,” she said as she looked between the blue gem and the woman. “Were you planning on buying this?” she asked. The girl smiled. “I think it would look pretty on you.”

Still no sign of the guard. The coin purse is right there. It would take just a brief moment… Her eyes didn’t once glance to the purse, though. She knew better. “My name is Ayaa,” she said with a pretend child-like innocence. “We seem to have the same taste in jewelry, though I can never afford anything of the like,” she said, glancing back at the piece with a forlorn gaze.

Finally. A fish took the bait. Mariah looked down to a little girl in a long skirt. It was obvious that the girl was after her pouch of money. This act that the girl performed was very impressive. But there was one fatal flaw. Children who were alone did not approach strangers unless it was to ask for help. Mariah had been keeping an eye out as she pretended to look at the jewelry. Not a single parent followed the girl or seemed concerned about a lost child. Therefore this child was alone. Mariah had enough experience with orphaned children to understand how they though. And Mariah herself had once been on the streets. These tactics being used were familiar to her.

"I suppose I might buy it." Mariah said out loud, "Thank you my dear."

Her body moved to face Ayaa. Squatting down to the ground, she reached into her satchel and pulled out a dark green cloak. She attempted to wrap the cloak around Ayaa.

"It's cold." She explained, "The cloak is warm. I'm sure your mother wouldn't have wanted you to be cold."

Her words were very careful to use past tense when referring to Ayaa's mother. Mariah did not know Ayaa nor her mother. But she did know that there was a 89% chance that children alone were orphans. A soft smile remained on her face. Her voice was honey sweet and her touch was soft. Yet Mariah's amber eyes revealed nothing. She reached to her little white pouch and handed it over to Ayaa.

"Here. Go get yourself a pretty necklace." Mariah said with a genuine attitude, "Something that would make your eyes light up with joy. Come see me if you ever need anything. Either food, money, or pickpocketing advice."

There was a chance that this girl was nothing but a sweet innocent girl. Small although it may be, it was still there. Which was why Mariah chose her words carefully. Nothing that she said would frighten the girl or send her home. Mariah stood up and began to walk towards the crowds. Her intentions were to make herself lost. Then she would wait. If Ayaa reached into the pockets of the cloak, the little girl would find a map that lead directly to Mariah's temporary home. Essentially, the half elf was inviting Ayaa to come visit her. 

It was all so meticulously planned. Every movement she made was to gain something, and Ayaa found herself impressed, if not shocked. The cloak was indeed warm; a welcome change to the short sleeves she was wearing. Her words, though layered with a sweet tone, had to mean something more. Ayaa’s eyes lit up as the woman handed her the pouch of coins.

What’s the catch? she wondered as she felt the weight of it in her hand. It wasn’t enough to buy the piece that they had been discussing, but it was a hefty amount. Enough to feed the children he had met here, and to start off an Adeluna branch of the thieves guild.

It was a bold game she was playing. There had to be a catch somewhere. But none of it was making sense. As the woman disappeared into the crowd, Ayaa immediately made herself scarce, turning down the first alley she came down. Moments later, a boy darted through across the rooftops, back to the initial hideout that he had formed for the orphans of Adeluna, though now he was no longer cold from the winds.

Now he had a green cloak with a strange map…

By the time he had dispersed the funds appropriately to his fellow thieves, Xeik found himself feeling a bit peckish. Instinctively, he reached into the new cloak, mistaking it for his old one that he had long left in Hoja. Huh? A map? He pulled the parchment from the cloak, and opened it, scanning the contents.

Adeluna. Is this where the woman is? Gears started turning as Xeik folded the map and placed it back into the cloak. She’s starting to give me bad vibes. I should check this out…She knew I was a thief. Is she preying on the children here? He did a once over on his equipment. More vials of his special elixir and his trusty knives. It wasn’t much but it had always seen him through. He bid his farewell to the other children, and started on the path laid out in the map.

—

Ayaa took her time as she approached the temporary dwelling of the strange woman. One could never be too careful when it came to predatory individuals. She hadn’t lived this long just to fall prey to it now. A quick once over didn’t reveal anything overly suspicious, but she had never the best as detecting magic. She would just have to remain on guard…

“Hello?” her voice rang out as she approached the household, her timid hand knocking against the door. “Is anyone home?”

As soon as Mariah got to her temporary home, she was approached by Lander. 

"I followed her into the alley way. I believe I was unseen." He started to say, "But I have some interesting news."

Lander whispered into her ear all the information that he had gathered. 

"You did well. I have one more task for you." Mariah said with a soft smile. 

She walked over to her desk and picked up a coin that she had saved from the pouch before going to the market. Her loyal son Lander followed her. 

"If the meeting goes well then this won't be needed. However, if things go south. Then you know what to do with this." She said. 

He nodded his head and took the coin that she handed him. The both of them started to clean up the living room. Her house was relatively large. It had three floors and plenty of rooms. Of course it could not compare to a noble home but it was impressive as a citizen home. Sweeping had been finished so Mariah switched to dusting. Lander was the best at cooking. That job fell to him. As for the other companions, they had their own individual missions to work on.

The living room was cleaned up. Smells of delicious food flowed from the kitchen. Mariah left to her bedroom upstairs to change into something a little more welcoming. Her dress was a simple white gown that had a flowy nature. Silver slippers were on her feet now. Her brown hair was combed and parted correctly. When she arrived back downstairs, a knock could be heard at the door. 

Her visitor has arrived. 

The door opened and Mariah was standing behind it with a soft smile. 

"Hello Ayaa." She said, "Please come in."

The door led straight to the living room. Inside the living room was a warm fireplace with a red rug a couple of feet in front of it. A comfy sofa and two chairs were near the fireplace. Paintings of blizzards and snow covered fields hung on the wall. Smells of delicious savory foods spread all around the home. It was warm. It was safe. A medium sized wooden bookshelf stood in one corner and a wooden desk was put in another. There were three doorways without any doors. A doorway on the right led to the kitchen. A doorway on the left led to a hall that had stairs. The doorway in between right and left led to a small but cute dining room. 

"Welcome to my home." Mariah said, "Would you like something to eat or drink?"

Lander would stay out of sight or at least try his best to stay out of the way. Mariah trusted him but he did not have the most comforting appearance. Especially since he behaved naturally as her bodyguard. 

As Ayaa walked into the room, she noted the exits first and foremost. Windows and the door were the most obvious. Obviously there were more rooms, but Ayaa had not had the time to truly prepare on such a short notice.

The smell caught her off guard. It was a pleasant aroma, and reminded her of the kitchen back at the tavern in Hoja Mesto. There was a pang of longing as she glanced around, taking note of the paintings on the wall. Money. Not extravagant, but they are paintings. Probably worth something if we push hard enough.

“Hi miss…er…” Ayaa paused. The woman had never given her name. Had she had the time, Ayaa would have scoped out much more information. She was already cursing herself for the lack of it. It made her feel uncomfortable. She surveyed the room again out of habit.

“Oh, food would be appreciated, Miss!” Ayaa replied excitedly. By chance, she had not had the opportunity to eat anything for the day, so she was more than starving. “And drink, if it’s not too much to ask!” She moved farther in to the household. Stairway. Wonder what’s up there?

The warm, cozy, inviting place set off all the alarms in her head. It was most definitely a trap of some kind. She wondered if there were other girls. Or boys…

“Is there anyone else coming?” Ayaa asked innocently/