Rosehill Irregulars: The Closed City

Chapter 1

"That's what I thought," Paige said, giving her a wink. "Finn's probably worried we all forgot." She watched Krissa make her way around the room, though the elegant half-blood didn't move from her place at the landing.

Krissa lifted another errantly placed book as she searched. Paige whistled sharply. She glaced at Paige, who pointed to her own head. Krissa knit her eyebrows momentarily, then felt at her hair. She pulled the forgotten, long, blunted wooden needle out, releasing a cascade of messily-cut hair. She clenched her eyes shut as it fell, but quickly gathered it up again. While her hands were busy, she stuck the needle between her teeth.

"Where's Thade?" she asked, pinning the newly fixed bun in place.

"Damned if I know." Paige shrugged, her hand pivoting on the bannister as she slowly swung her body back and forth. Once Kriss finished securing her hair, Paige descended the stairs. Krissa followed her, though at a slower pace. By the time she reached the bottom, Paige had already made it to the door. "I'm sure he'll catch up," she said, leaning against the wall.

"I hope so."

Krissa pulled out a key that had been in her pocket and walked over to a drawer near the edge of the room. She pulled it open and looked inside. There, only visible to her trained eye, was a small lock. She clicked the key into place and unlocked the diminutive latch. Inside was a small gold ring with a flattened top. Runes were etched into every space of the metal. Scooping it up, Krissa stuck it in her pocket before relocking the hatch and shutting the drawer.

"Huh. Clever little thing," Paige chirped. "I never even noticed it."

"That's the idea." Krissa paused. "Wait, you looked in there? When?"

"Oh, you know me." She winked again. The half-blood smirked under the look Krissa gave her. Without another word, she turned and pranced out of the doorway, over the stairs, and onto the street. "Now hurry up."

"I don't have the same stilts as you, Paige," Krissa replied, half laughing.

"I'm gonna take that as a compliment, shortstack."

"If you want."

Paige laughed loudly, already at the door, her arms crossed. The gnome eventually caught up, slightly winded. Her friend patted her back and they headed into the center of town.

Midtown was as loud and bustling as ever. Children and their parents filled the plaza in the town's upper district, eagerly soaking up the late spring sunlight. Soldiers dressed in chainmail patrolled the streets, the Adoran Blue shining proudly on their sucoats. The steel visors that obscured their faces had been disconcerting to Krissa when she and her friends had first moved there, but now they seemed almost reassuring in their uniform anonymity.

Ducking and dodging to avoid errant elbows and knees, Krissa slowly edged through the crowd. Paige strode jauntily ahead, free from the same worries that Krissa had of being crushed underfoot. After a few moments, seemingly recognizing Krissa's predicament, Paige slowed her pace. Following close behind Paige proved much simpler, as Krissa was able to ride the brief gap before it closed again.

Eventually they reached the other side of the crowd. Krissa dodged out of the way of another elbow and stumbled out into the open. Looking up, she saw a familiar sight that she had lost sight of in the sea of people. The Crossroads' eminent tavern: The Emerald Dragon. While normally quiet during the day, with the volume growing as night fell, the Emerald Dragon was already alive with laughter and conversation. So many people had shown up that a small crowd had formed around the tavern.

"Livelier than usual," Krissa commented.

"Huh?" Paige turned to look at her. "Oh, yeah. Having a little festival tends to draw crowds." It was clear that she was only half paying attention as her head bobbed around, trying to see something through the small crowd. "So, funny story: I don't actually know if they let returning visitors in.."