Maple did not like it here in Darabaile.

  It was a beautiful place, trees being abundant and worked into every facet of the city's design. From the trees laden with glowing fruit on every street to brighten the night, to the massive tree and guardian spirit the city was built around. The symbol of clan Darach was ever present wherever you went here, and it blended everything together into a natural splendor that Maple appreciated.

  However there were far too many people, and all of them seemed to be quite rude and distant. Everything cost money, a concept somewhat foreign to her, and they never seemed to have enough of it. Which added stress to their lives as they constantly struggled to earn more just to survive here while they waited for their call for help to be answered.

  She also, quite simply, missed her family so much her heart ached.

  Bai and Uncle Lin were fine traveling companions, but she wasn’t used to their company in the same way she was with her siblings and father. So every miscommunication, every disagreement, every little thing that wasn’t in its proper place grated in ways that she was unused to.

  She returned home to the room they shared in a rather quaint inn after a long day of delivering messages for a pittance to find yet another point of pain.

  Bai had gone through her stuff again.

  The girl seemed to not understand the concept of boundaries, and would frequently “borrow” things without asking. At first it had been only a little annoying, as she was taking things that Maple would have happily shared with her anyways, like a spare pad for her monthlies or one of the snacks she had brought. However Bai had started taking things that were more personal to Maple like the dress she had packed in case she needed something formal to wear, or the single scroll of her mother’s that she had brought as both a memento and something to read. Which was driving her mad.

  To make things worse, Uncle Lin seemed unused to trying to discipline his daughter. Which made sense in retrospect, as Aunt Jieun seemed the stricter of the pair, but didn’t help to correct Bai’s current misbehavior.

  Maple’s bag was currently open on her bed, rather than its usual place at her bedside, and several items haphazardly shoved into the top of it, instead of the neatly organized state she usually kept it in.

  And there was Bai, laying on her own bed and reading Maple’s scroll again. She hadn’t even looked up as Maple entered their shared living space.

  “I told you how much I dislike you going through my stuff, Bai!”

  The younger teen looked up with a light smile, clearly not at all repentant. “But I was bored and this is the only piece of entertainment I have.” She clearly wasn’t just talking about the scroll as she was obviously amused by her roommates' annoyance at her actions.

  Maple groaned in frustration. “If I get you some cards or dice will you stop stealing from my bag?” Maybe bribery would soothe the little thief. Plus she had seen some cheap sets of both while she had made today's deliveries so it wouldn’t eat into their finances too badly.

  Bai tilted her head in thought, her straight black hair moving to cover one of her dark eyes. “It would certainly help, though I’d prefer if you’d talk to my dad about letting me explore when you both are gone.” She laid on her back and stared at the ceiling despondently. “Being cooped up in here all day is mind numbing.”

  If you discover this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.

  She had apparently tried to sneak out a couple of times, but her father was paranoid enough about his daughter’s safety that he’d set traps that alerted him when someone tried to enter or leave through the window. The round and friendly innkeeper had also been told that she wasn’t to go wandering off and had been surprisingly alert and observant whenever she had tried to leave through the front door.

  Maple supposed that she could understand the girl's frustration. If she was confined here all day every day she’d also go mad. However…

  “It’s not my call to make, and it can be dangerous in certain parts of town without a spirit.”

  Bai looked saddened and more than a little petulant at Maple’s denial of help, but the older girl was unmoved. Although an idea did occur to her that might work as both punishment and solution for Bai’s behavior and issue.

  Maple opened the door to leave again. “I’ll be right back. Gonna check on something.” She ignored Bai’s call to take her with her.

  She made her way downstairs to the common area, spotting the jovial fellow who ran the place chatting with one of his regulars. After waiting for him to finish up, she approached him with a friendly smile.

  “Mister Declan, I was hoping to ask for your help with something.”

  His already smiling face seemed to light up further. “Of course lass, always have time for one of my guests!”

  “Do you have any work that my friend Bai could help out with during the day? She’s going a tad stir crazy being stuck in our room all the time.”

  “But of course! Always have use for idle hands in a place like this. Can even knock two roots off your weekly rent if she does a good job. Though you might wanna check with her pops first, I offered her some work so it’d be easier for me to watch her, but he refused.” He chuckled a bit while looking behind Maple. “Speaking of, looks like he’s just come back, and with a friend even!”

  His face shifted to a light frown. Which was honestly the worst his mood ever seemed to get. She turned around to see what could’ve upset the man.

  “Excuse me miss!” He called to the woman who was standing next to Lin. “Please no smoking in my establishment!”

  Frankly Maple was unsure how the innkeeper had identified the individual as a woman at a glance. She had a wide brim hat that obscured most of her face, with clothes that were loose-fitting and doing a good job at concealing her build.

  The woman sighed and put out the flame in her pipe with a gloved thumb, with Maple getting only a whiff of the surprisingly sweet smoke emanating from it.

  “Just my luck you’da pick one of the only smokeless inns in the city.” She groused in the lilt common to the region.

  Lin was quick to reply in a deferential tone. “My apologies, master wanderer. Had I known I would’ve asked you to wait outside while I got Maple.”

  She grunted and shrugged. “It’s not a bother, so long as that spirit you promised me a gander at lives up to your description.”

  Lin waved her over and she complied with a confused expression.

  “Who’s this Uncle Lin? And why is she going to take a look at my spirit?”

  The woman herself decided to answer before Lin could. “I’m the one bein sent to deal with your little home’s issues. As for the lookin, well while normally fighting a great big beastie of rot is reward enough in its own right, you’re makin me go to the arse end of nowhere so a little extra compensation wouldna go amiss.”

  “I see…” Was all Maple could think to reply. She wasn’t sure what the stranger would be getting out of looking at Meteoros, but if it meant her home would be saved then she’d put up with it.

  The wanderer lifted up the brim of her hat and started looking at Maple kind of strangely.

  “Have we met before? Somethin about you is ticklin the back of me brain.” After a couple of moments of examination she shrugged. “Bah it’s probably nothing.” She grabbed Maple by the shoulder and began leading her out the door.

  “So come on girlie, the faster you let me study your spirit, the faster I can go save your kin!”