The Wandering Witch VOL. 1 - The Prelude Arc (COMPLETED)

3.4| A Thieving Crow

    Unless... unless she's one of—

   "—Give... that back."

   Thoughts interrupted and startled by the sudden voice, Noct jumped in surprise, almost dropping the satchel once again. He whipped his head around immediately to turn at the source of the voice that came from the opening of the pathway. The moment he did, he could not believe his eyes for a moment as Noct saw the person who was standing there, further deepening his suspicion.

   It was the girl. With the same small and petite figure, the same expressionless face, the same glistening snow-white hair, the same piercing silver eyes, he knew this without doubt.

   For the second time in that moment, he was left speechless again, frozen as he stood there. Noct blinked, imagining her to be just another apparition, a hallucination, or an illusion of some sorts that would disappear once he willed it enough to himself. But no matter how hard he convinced himself that she was not real, the girl from before continued to stand just at the entrance of the alley, blocking the path with a steely look on her blank face.

   Noct couldn't believe how fast she had followed him, which wouldn't even be possible. The thief had always made sure to be more than careful whenever he committed a theft, taking extra measures to avoid getting caught. And furthermore, there was simply no way she could have arbitrarily located him there, of all the confusing twists and turns the alleys in the kingdom harbored. A cold dread crept up the back of his skin as he remembered about his previously interrupted thoughts, the continuation of his sentence that had been cut by her arrival.

    No... impossible.

   The girl narrowed her eyes slightly as she saw the satchel that Noct was holding in his grasp. The thief wasn't entirely sure but for a moment, he thought he saw her eyes widen slightly as she noticed its overturned cover and the tip of the skull's face peeking from within.

   Once again, she interrupted the still silence by saying the same three words, "Give... that back."

   Noct blinked. For a few tense seconds, he and the girl stared at each other, both saying nothing. The muffled sounds of the people further outside of the alley seemed somehow distant and unreal to them. It was as if they were both in a separate place away from the lively flow of the crowd.

   The thief was the first who moved. He shook his head slightly at first, then much more firmly the next. He gripped the straps of her satchel tightly in his hand, legs ready to flee. In the rare case when things went horribly or dangerous, running away was the best and easiest solution for him. Once events led down to that, Noct was confident his feet could outrun any seasoned runner. However before he did, he still had something to ask from her, something he desperately needed to confirm first. Although he knew he would regret this later on, he still couldn't let it go without knowing.

   Noct smiled. It was not the friendly and warm smile he had given her minutes ago. This one was his true, genuine smile, an uncaring, cold, and manipulative one. Then, he spoke in a harsh and taunting tone, a voice he often reserved for his fellow thieves, those who knew the real Crow Thief. "Whoa, little miss. How did you even find me so fast? I never even expected to see you again, truth be told."

   The girl remained quiet. Noct waited for her to say something, counting the seconds that seemed to pass very, very slowly. It took close to an eternity before she finally uttered a single, quiet word.