: Let The Plan Begin

Kayda left the shop after giving Aideen the details on the mask she wanted.

She would go back later in the day to pick it up. But before that, she needed to get an ID. If she didn't have a form of identification, she would be pushed into many difficult situations. And besides, if she wanted to get into the guild and earn money, she couldn't go in as some strange person who couldn't even prove that they weren't some sort of criminal.

Well, she couldn't exactly say she wasn't a criminal either.

Slowly, Kayda passed through the crowded streets. She kept her head down and her face hidden. Better safe than sorry.

As she was walking, a group of kids ran through the streets, chasing after each other with smiles on their faces.

They passed by people without gaining much attention, but Kayda narrowed her eyes at the sight.

The group of kids ran past her while skimming past her cloak.

Instead of continuing on her path, she stopped and grabbed one of the kids' wrist.

A little boy with a grimy face and a large birthmark on his chin looked up at her in surprise. Shocked, he started to struggle in an attempt to flee while all the other kids stopped in their tracks, looking at him with apprehension and fear.

Kayda looked at these kids. Their clothes were tight and torn. Dirt worn on their faces and their eyes wary and cautious.

Looking down at the little boy, he wanted to keep struggling and dropped the bag in his hand to the ground.

Tears streamed down his face when he couldn't escape. "I-I'm sorry! I'm sorry!" He cried out. He pleaded and apologized, causing people to turn and stare.

The tears and snot ran down his face as the other kids looked at him. They all wore defensive looks on their face but didn't dare to come near to help him.

Kayda looked at the kid and picked up her bag of money that he had dropped on the floor.

She knew kids like these. Homeless and hungry with no place to go. Opening her bag of coins, she took out two silver tails and pressed them into the boy's palm. That's when she noticed he was missing two of his fingers.

She could only grit her teeth. The punishment for being caught stealing was to have the hand cut at the wrist. For kids, it was the loss of a finger.

But what people didn't understand was even with a punishment like this, these kids wouldn't stop stealing. Because, if they wanted to survive, they had to use the riches of others. There was no point to the cruel and senseless punishment.

When the kid felt the coins press into his hand, he looked up to the person who held his wrist. He looked into her emerald eyes and pale thin face, cautious and confused.

Kneeling down, Kayda seemed to start dusting off the clothes of the kid in front of her. People who had noticed her stopping the kid earlier looked away and continued on their way.

"If you're going to pickpocket someone, you need to make sure your hand is in sync with your body or your movements will seem off." Kayda finished dusting him off.

When she looked at his face, she instinctively took her thumb and rubbed the dirt off his face. When she realized what she was doing, she immediately stopped and stood up. "You better run off now."

And she turned her back ignoring the starry eyed boy staring at her back.

Kayda walked down the streets. Her mind someplace else as her legs wondered.

Six little kid's faces popped up in her head. Each dirtier than the last but shining brightly with smiles. If she could, she would rather keep only the memories of their smiling faces. But she didn't have a choice. Each and every one of her memories of them was haunted by screams.

She looked at her hand. She still wore the gloves that Aylin had given her.

Clenching her fist, she looked ahead.

She couldn't ponder on the past or it would hinder her present. There was a time and place for everything, and right now, was not the time to be bringing up bad thoughts.

Kayda spent the rest of the day getting things in order. Buying a room at a small inn, gathering information and creating plans on how she would move forward with her hunt.

After buying a few things around the market and scouring the town for a better understanding of the layout, she finally decided to rest a little until the appointed time had come. And it came quicker than she thought.

When the sun had finally set, she made her way back to Aideen's shop. The purple door was hidden away in the shadows created by the setting sun. A sign hung up clearly stating that it was closed, but she ignored it and walked right into the unlocked store.

As the bell rang, there was a ruckus created in the back of the shop.

A few minutes later, Kayda saw a haggard looking Aideen walking out from the back.

Her hair was going in every which way while her appearance was lacking the luster she had seen earlier that day.

When she saw Kayda, her eyes brightened but it was like her face was too tired to even smile.

"You're just in time." Lifting up her hand, she tossed Kayda an object.

When Kayda reached out and caught it, she was satisfied with the weight of it that wasn't too heavy and felt light enough to wear.

Taking what was in her hand and putting it under the light, Kayda was even more impressed.

She was holding a delicate mask in her hand. The top layer of the mask was made of a thin sheet of silver carved to look like creeping vines crawling over the mask. The second layer was made of a delicate porcelain the shade of a beautiful but low key color.

But what really caught her eye was the specific pin she had asked for.

Pinned to the side of the mask was a Kaydathium flower made of a soft fabric. The petals looked real and as soft as the original. Hanging from the flower was a pale green tassel the size of her pinky finger.

It was honestly a very beautiful mask. She was even willing to admit that she liked this one better than a previous one she had that she had thought was the only one for her.

"Thank you." She meant this sincerely. She even started to think that trying on all those frilly dresses from earlier were worth it.

Aideen waved her hand. "Don't worry about it. Now, if you don't mind, go pester someone else honey. I need some beauty sleep." Aideen quickly pushed Kayda out of her shop and locked the door.

A small smile formed in the corner of her lips. She didn't mind being treated like this. Aideen must have worked really hard to be able to finish the mask so quickly.

Staring down at the mask, her smile disappeared. Her plan needed to be set in motion now.

Without waiting any further, Kayda placed the mask upon her face, hiding her features.

After tonight, she would not be able to get any rest. She had a grudge to avenge. And her first stop was the adventures guild.