We arrive back at the front of the store, looking out of the window the street is less crowded than when I walked in. Samura turns to me and says “Stop back in anytime, I am certain that Talia will warm up to you if you are around more, and I am sure that Sumi would love to meet you.”

“Hmm, I will keep that in mind,” I tell her while tilting my head to the side, “I do understand why you didn’t chase me away with a broom now.”

“In all fairness if you thought that would happen you wouldn’t have even walked through the front door in the first place,” Shiva yawns slightly.

“I know that it can be rough on people like you and my sister, and even though Common Grounds is more forgiving, there are a quite a few people,” This time she spits people out between her teeth as if she tasted something bad, “that would rather see us ran out… or worse.”

As we walk out the door I begin to reply, but she cuts me off as she shouts, “Watch out.” I turn my head and spot a decent sized rock arcing through the air at me, and at the same time I feel Samura try to shove me from behind. I rock back on my heels and press against her, and reach out and snatch the rock from the air.

There is a solid thwack as the rock slams into the palm of my hand, followed by that stinging sensation radiating down my forearm, and I quickly pass the rock into my left hand and begin to channel energy into my palm wrapping the rock in a thin layer of ice.

“To your right,” Shiva hisses in irritation.

I look over my shoulder across the street, and not even thirty feet away I spot a bulky man recovering from a throw with a smirk on his face. Standing next to him, looking quite smug, is a Kitsune with five brown tails, small ears, and a long sword on her hip. Around them a small group of people are laughing; slowly the laughter dies down and their looks change to that of disbelief.

Before they can move I quickly pivot and stomp my foot on the ground, while twisting my arm in a short sideways arc, aiming for the spot just above where his head currently is, and I let the rock loose.

As I expect, he quickly stands the rest of the way up, starts to take a step back, the rock collides with his face, he staggers back with a satisfying scream, and the small group of people around him turn towards him.

The street around us falls silent, everyone begins to turn towards us. I hear a little “eh” of confusiuion from behind me as I begin to walk towards the group.

“I think his nose is broken,” one of the people that were standing around him says as she tries to examine his face past his hand.

“Where is that bitch,” I hear a growl from the center of the crowd and a bloody hand reaches past the shoulders as he shoves his way out into the street, “I will strangle her.”

As he steps out of the circle I reach up and grab his bloody, now slightly crooked, nose between my knuckles. I pull down with a twist bringing him to my level as he screams again. “Oh I’m so sorry,” I quickly say in mock dread while twisting my wrist ever so slightly eliciting another scream, “The rock just slipped from my hand.”

As the group turns towards me the crowd on the street backs away slightly and starts to go back about their business, slower, and keeping an eye on the scene before them waiting for a fight to break out and I can hear a few quiet bets getting exchanged, but back to business either way.

“Being a city of mercenaries fights in the middle of the street are probably quite common,” Shiva says.

“I, I’m going to kill you,” He gasps in a nasally voice while trying to stand up, and wincing as I tighten my grip.

“It is quite unfortunate that you grabbed him with your draw hand,” Shiva says laughing.

“Guard,” one of the women in the group begins to call out.

“As an apology, let me help you,” I tell him, before laughing “We wouldn’t want a blemish such as a crooked nose ruining your looks now would we?”

“What are you waiting for,” He gasps but before he can finish speaking I tighten my grip again and pull forward in quick motion, and I can feel the cartilage in his nose shift. The combination of the momentum and pain causes him to lose balance and he falls to the ground screaming, clutching his face again.

I can smell the blood in the air and my heart begins to rush in excitement.

I step back to observe the rest of the group. They are paralyzed, staring at their comrade rolling around on the ground. The first to react is the brown Kitsune, she snaps her head up, leveling a glare at me.“Well are you just going to let her do that to Tom,” she shouts while shoving a rather bulky Valkyrie at me.

He stumbles slightly and hesitates before he lunges at me with his arms outstretched. As he gets near I twist and duck his grasp, then I stick a foot between his legs, hooking his knee while jamming my elbow into his side. With a satisfying crack I feel his rib break beneath the force, and he falls to the ground gasping for breath while holding his side and i rapidly retreat.

“What is going on here?” a Dargoth in half-plate asks as he walks down the street, stopping in between the group and myself just off to the side resting his hand on the head of the axe strapped to his side.

“Slow down,” a woman with red curly hair, draped over her shoulder, flutters her large black wings in irritation, “There is no need to rush.” She is wearing a blue trimmed black robe with a quill pen over her left breast, designating her as a senior scribe if I recall correctly.

“Someone called for help,” the man responds to her, “and as a member of the guard it is my duty to protect the citizens.” He looks sternly back and forth and then down at tom rolling on the ground, “Now what exactly is going on here.”

“Technically your duty is to escort me Zachariah,” the woman pouts quietly looking oddly disappointed, but doesn’t press the issue further.

“That woman assaulted Tom,” the brown Kitsune quickly accuses me, “and then when William went to help him, she turned on him as well.” The group around her slowly nods in agreement with her.

“Really no minds of their own it seems,” Shiva yawns slightly, bringing a smile to my face.

The Dargoth starts to turn towards me, and I quickly adopt a look of distress. He asks, “Is that true?”

“Tha, they cornered me and threatened me saying that they were going to do…” I let me voice drop and I twist to the side grabbing my elbow and looking down, “this and that to me, and that when they were finished they would scar me so that no one would want a defect like me-” I finish letting my voice catch in my throat.

Out of the corner of my eye I see fury building behind his red eyes and he wheels on the small group, “Give me all of your identification numbers,” he growls, “I will be reporting all of you worthless whelps to your superiors.”

“You can’t honestly believe her,” the brown Kitsune complains, “especially with two of my friends rolling on the ground.”

“I wonder where Melodiana is,” Shiva says.

“Probably still in the spice shop.”

“You are going to get upset about that after you gang up on her and she defends herself,” He continues to growl.

A few more guards move through the crowd and one says “Reporting for duty, what are your orders Sir?”

“Take this trash and detain them, and send their information to their acting commanders with incident reports,” the man replies while reaching back towards the woman that was following him, and she passes him a paper after she folds it, she was apparently recording what was going on.

“You can’t do that,” the brown Kitsune growls over the complaints of the rest of her group, “Don’t you know who I am?”

“Frankly I do not give a damn,” the man replies waving to the small group of guards that moves to surround the group.

“I am a Rainheart,” the brown Kitsune protest, and then threatens, “My family will have your job if you do this.”

“Take them away,” the man orders, and the group is nosily led, and slightly dragged, away as the brown Kitsune swears back over her shoulder.

“I won’t forget this, and you will all come to regret it.”

The woman sighs and asks, “If you are quite done now can we be on our way?”

“In just a moment,” the man says, “It is just lunch there is no need to be in a rush.”

She pouts at this and mutters, “not just lunch.”

The man turns toward me and asks, “Are you alright?” I nod, and he asks, “Do you have identification with the city so a complete report can be filed? Or are you just visiting the city?”

“Didn’t Melodiana say that you should carry that with you at all times when she handed it to you?” Shiva asks laughing.

“I don’t know, she might have mentioned something about it,” I ponder for a moment, “but it was early.” I look back over at the man, and try to maintain my meek demeanor while I answer his question, “I am not currently carrying it with me.”

He sighs slightly and says, “New recruit eh? Well remember in the future to carry it with you. Can you at least tell me what class you are a part of?”

“The Wingless.”

The woman looks slightly shocked for a moment before laughing, “And here you thought you were saving her when in the end you probably saved that group of fools.” She looks me over again and a flash of recognition passes across her face, “She is Marion’s new girl.”

“Hmm?” the man grunts.

“New girl?” I ask.

“Mm-hmm ,” she nods, “Marion just went on and on about how she found herself a cute little fox that was quite skilled, and you are likely the only person in the city that fits the description nine white tails. I was just slightly distracted so I didn't immediately recall.”

“I see,” I sigh at the thought of my image becoming more known, and then again at being called the new girl.

“Anyway I am sure she is quite capable of taking care of herself,” the woman tells the man and links her arm through his and begins to pull him, “Try not to cause too many problems, troublemaker.”

“Wait I’m not finished,” The man protests, “I still need to gather more information for my report.”

“Oh it will never stick anyway not with the Rainheart name to fight it.”

I shrug and head back over towards Samura who is wearing a shocked look. I spot Melodiana who starts to walk towards me as well with her bags in hand.

“Are you okay?” Samura asks.

I nod to her, and then ask “Who was that?”

Samura pales slightly before she answers, “That was Stephanie Rainheart and her current cohorts.” She continues without me prompting her further, “She is the heir to a rather well off family that has donated a large amount towards funding the residential district.”

“Ah so her name has weight here in the city,” I say tilting my head to the left.

“What was going on over there?” Melodiana asks as she gets nearby.

“Lily was,” Samura begins to say something but I cut her off as I step close and stretch up to lightly kiss her cheek.

“Thank you,” I tell her and she reaches up to touch her cheek.

“You know plenty of people just witnessed that little spectacle, so it doesn't really do you much good to interrupt her,” Shiva sighs, “And I see that you are quick to adopt new methods of surprising people.”

“Old habits,” I respond to her, and then to Samura “I will stop in another time.”

“Who is this, and why are you thanking her?” Melodiana asks looking between us suspiciously.

“Ah this is Samura, and she helped me” I turn towards Samura and say, “and this is Melodiana.”

“It is a pleasure to meet you,” Samura says as she offers a hand to Melodiana. She then looks over at me and says, “You may just call me Maya.”

“I will keep that in mind,” I tell her, and then look to Melodiana and suggest, “Perhaps we should get these things back home so we can head out.”

“That seems like a reasonable plan,” Melodiana says, then bows to Maya. I nod my head to her and we head back to Crystals to load her cart. Her son, who I learned is named Brandon, is talking in the back of the store with Crystal and Penelope, his sister. Crystal gives them final instructions and then leads us around back where we make idle chatter on the way back home.