Cisel stretched a bit as she pushed herself to her feet. The moonlight broke through the thick overhead of the forest as the gentle hum of paw steps slipped past her. It was a chilly morning, though no snow lingered in the air at that time. Perhaps spring was coming closer, though at that point Cisel had lost track, or at least lost the ability to care. She slipped through the woods, feeling the dead leaves beneath her feet as she silently inched her way over it.
However, the path she took she. As she traveled along, being wary of bandits or anything else that might intend harm, Cisel made her way towards Combe. She could have gone to Bree, but she was not ready for that yet. She could not bring herself from facing those memoriestoo soon. And so the young woman moved into the small town of Combe, tying the blanket tighter around her to make a makeshift clothing that could help hide her in the darkness of the night.
Combe was not a place Cisel visited often, and in fact, before she went to live with Aeonid and Azzera; she had not left Bree to begin with. However, as Cisel slipped through the streets of Combe, the scent of food flooded into her nose. Her stomach growled softly at the smell, reminding her she had not eaten since she fled her short-lived friendship. However, Cisel had things that were more important on her mind at that moment. As soon as daylight broke, she knew she would draw attention from pitiers and good-doers. Of course, she would prefer to avoid that, so instead she turned the streets corner to make her way to a certain house she had known to keep their clothes out on a line even at night. The woman was a widow with four uncontrollable sons. She was often distracted and rarely had time for simple chores, making her a much easier target.
And to Cisel’s luck, the clothes were still there on the line, shifting a bit in the soft night breeze. Cisel snuck over, pausing as the light of a guard passed. She then went to town, snatching up a cloth shirt, black pants, a leather jacket, and some shoulder covering. Cisel then ran as fast as she could, her heart pounding softly as her natural instincts began to flood into her. The guards had not seen her, no one had. She had caught a lucky break then, luckier than in days past. Cisel then slid the pants over her legs, pulling the ragged skirt off. She undid slid the cloth shirt on it, though it was baggy on her and fell loosely over her hips. So to help make it look more natural fitting, she tucked the cloth shirt into the old pants, tying a rope around her waist keep the pants on. Finally, Cisel slid the leather jacket over her shoulders, finding it actually fit better than the pants and the shirt she had stolen: the shoulder coverings fitting over her shoulders just the same as the jacket.
A grin spread across Cisel’s face as she snuck towards his store, picking the lock silently as she slipped in. The room was dark and silent, save for the gentle snore of the man on the floor above her. Cisel snuck across the room where a table sat, boots sitting on display across the wooden surface. It did not take Cisel very long to snatch up a pair of boots and flee. However, a guard did catch her sneaking out of the store. The moment he saw her, he called out to her and panic flooded through Cisel as she bolted off. It was a natural instinct, fear running through her as the memory of running from the men before crossed through Cisel. She ran as if the man was prepared to kill her, when in reality he probably would not have hurt her if she did not fight back. However, Cisel did not care. She just ran, and she was fast enough to outrun the guard, and flee out of Combe. Sitting back in the woods, Cisel slid her boots back into place on her feet.
When morning came and went, Cisel sat still in the woods. Why she did not move? Not even Cisel knows. However, for some reason she could not convince herself to move. Perhaps fear still gripped her heart from memories, or if she was just so hungry, she could not bring herself to exerting more nonexistent energy. However, as the sun floated over her head and began to sink again, Cisel finally mustered the energy or courage to stand to her feet. Luckily she was now fully clothed, so she did not fear the eyes of people who believed her to be worst off then them. (Even if she was)
Cisel moved into town again silently, moving to draw her hood over her head as she shuffled towards the stinky old tavern in town. She stepped it, finding it was mostly empty save for the barmaid and a few chickens. (Have to love chickens in a tavern). The warmth of the fire reached out to Cisel, attracting her with a soft sense of safety as she moved across the warm, taking a deep breath in. Oh, it felt so good to be in a real building, no matter how dirty, with real clothes and real people. As she stood, Cisel slid her hands into the pocket of her pants, feeling a few coins settled on the bottom of the pocket. Joy fluttered through Cisel as she realized what a fortune she had gotten, or at least a fortune to the orphaned thief.
As she stood there, a presence moved beside her as a familiar voiced crossed through her ears, “Damn, that stew doesn’t look right.”
The joy of finding the coins was unmatched to the new joy crossing through Cisel. So much joy, she had to control herself from squeaking out or suddenly leaping on the man who stood beside her. “Aye, no’ as good as ya cookin’.”
She then walked to the counter, fingering the coins in her pocket as the man watched her, puzzled. She then ordered two ales, one for her and one for him as he followed after her, asking, “Do I know ya?”
Cisel nodded faintly as she said, “Ye know me.” She then turned to face him holding out the ale, “Still like ale, right?”
He nodded to her, taking the ale from her grasp as Cisel smiled faintly, moving to slide her hood down as the look of shock crosses his face, “Pup..”
“Aye, tha’s my name.” Cisel grinned to him as he grabbed her into a tight hug. Joy flooded through Cisel to see Aeonid again.
