"She's out of her mind!"
Those were the last words Chibi heard. Anything else was swallowed up by the wind. Her hair vaulted skyward, whipping like strokes of ink against a canvass of blue; she was falling. Her life passed before her eyes; snapshots of a place remembered, but a time forgotten. The Rookery, fond laughter, warm arms closing around her when there was nothing left, but love to share-
Get a hold of yourself, Short Stuff. You really gonna die like this?
Her eyes shot open. That voice! She hadn't heard it in- The ground! The thief's mind whipped back to the present, as she thrashed against the current trying to pull her down.
"Come on! Come on!"
Tears broke away from her eyes.
"Please!"
A pain suddenly stole her breath away. A twinge followed by another and another, until it felt like her body was overflowing with burning-hot embers! The sensation sparked upwards until the green of her eyes shimmered like a field of fireflies.
The soldiers turned on their heels, solemnly making for the stairwell. They were fully prepared to send a small, broken body off for burial in an unmarked grave. But, a jarring crash was enough to draw the knights back to the edge of the building. Sir Reginald's mouth fell open, as he peered over the ledge.
"I-Impossible! I don't believe it!"
The thief he thought had jumped to her death was now sailing through the air, bread loaves trailing behind her. When he looked down, his bushy eyebrows raised with alarm. A small crater was left behind in the stonework of the wall; a hole in the shape of two tiny feet.
"So, that's how she does it. All of this time!-"
"Sir, your orders?"
"Go after her, you fools! Don't stop until you capture her!"
"Yes, sir!"
Chibi sighed with relief as she left the battalion of knights far behind her.
"Whew! That was a close one!"
The thief dared to steal a glance behind her. She was treated to a rare sight; the whole battalion crowded helplessly together on the edge of the rooftop with dumbfounded looks on their faces. She grinned, sticking out her tongue, childishly; a cheap thrill that came with a swift dose of karma. The obstacle that was right in front of her went unnoticed until it was too late! Before she could even scream, the girl burst right through the banner!
"Look! It's Chibi!"
The crowd below stared as the urchin flailed in a blind panic on her way down.
"H-Help!"
"Quick, catch her!"
It was a leap of faith to depend on the kindness of strangers; but, her luck pulled through one more time as hands snatched her out of the air and the cold maw of death.
"Y-You saved me!"
An old man shook his head.
"Good gracious, Chibi. You can't ever seem to keep out of trouble!"
"Hehe, sorry!"
"There she is!"
The urchin squeaked, before wiggling out of her savior's arms, making a run for it as the knights started pushing their way through the crowd.
"Gotta go! Thanks for the help, everybody!"
From the rooftop, steely eyes narrowed as they watched an entire battalion of knights let one little thief slip through their fingers. Hesitant steps could be heard coming up behind Sir Reginald. He didn't need to look to know which subordinate they belonged to; it was Lieutenant Dars, a man whose nature was as loyal, as it was nervous.
"We've.. We've lost her, sir. Should we wait for the thief to show up again?"
"No. The situation's changed. Send a message to the third and fifth battalions. We need to close ranks and smoke her out. This has just become our top priority."
Dars opened his mouth, only to snap it shut. Was questioning really worth the icy glare he would get from his captain? Curiosity always killed the cat.
"Sir, if I may-?"
"Out with it, Lieutenant. You're wasting my time."
"It's just.. the tournament is happening today. N-Not that you needed reminding of that, sir! But, why has the task of catching a common criminal become of the utmost importance?"
Sir Reginald stared at the other man for a few moments with an unreadable expression; one that made Dars start squirming. The captain finally returned his gaze to the horizon, folding his arms stoically behind his back.
"Because we have an unregistered Seiha user in our midst, Lieutenant. Now, get on it."
Dozens of armored boots thundered by the thief's green eyes. She squeezed out from under her hiding place the moment they were out of sight. The knights were being extremely persistent; much more than usual. It made Chibi wonder if this was not such an ordinary day in Evergreen, after all.
But, any thoughts about the reason why weren't for her; that was for people with much fuller stomachs. Speaking of which, Chibi glanced down at the loaves she held tightly in her arms. A lot of them were lost in the chaos, earlier; but, she still had half. A realization that caused tears to cut clean lines through the dirt on her face.
"...Everything's gonna be okay now."
She made her way back toward the Rookery with a quiet smile. Like always, she favored the back streets over the main roads. The less she was seen, the better. The last thing Chibi wanted to do was lead the knights to her home, after all-
A wall of sound hit her. Her blood ran cold as she peeked around the corner to see the calamity she had almost wandered into. People were being snatched from their homes! They were dragged to the center of the Rookery, kicking and screaming.
"Oi! We ain't did nothin' wrong! Let us go!"
Some of the young men tried to break through, only for a hoarse scream to stop them in their tracks.
"Oh please, oh please, sirs! For the love of Willow, she's just an old lady!"
The knights had pulled a beloved elder from her bed, gripping her frail body bruisingly tight. Chibi's heart dropped as they threw her into the crowd like she was a piece of garbage.
"Granny!"
The urchin slapped a hand over her mouth. She had to stay quiet, no matter how much it hurt.
I-I can't believe they're doing this! It was just some bread!
A man stepped forward, sweeping his plum-colored eyes over his captive audience.
"Now that I have your attention, where is she?"
"Who?!"
"Don't play dumb. We know you're sheltering her. A Seiha-user that has been hidden in plain sight for years."
Chibi tilted her head in bewilderment.
Seiha?
Another shriek caught everyone's attention from the back of the crowd. Green eyes widened in horror at who they had caught.
Emi!
The knights herded the newly arrived children toward the other prisoners. But, a sharp gesture from the man asking the questions caused them to be brought closer to him, instead.
"I'll read you their description. I suggest you all listen, carefully. Under five foot tall, long, black hair, green eyes and most notably, a strength-based Seiha."
Another flick of his wrist caused a knight to point a sharp dagger at Emi's throat! The crowd erupted, but no one screamed louder than the little girl's brother, who was held callously away from his sibling, as they desperately reached for one another.
"Please! Don't hurt my sister!"
"Big brother!"
"Emi!"
Some begged for the girl's life, while others threatened to make the knights pay for their cruelty. But, something strange cut through the chaos. A metallic clang that caused the crowd to fall silent. Something had struck the captain's helmet; a soft, doughy bun.
When everyone lifted their gaze, they saw a heavily breathing girl standing on top of an empty wagon. More clunks and clangs rung through the air as she chucked rolls at the knights terrorizing the Rookery.
"Leave 'em alone!"
The captain huffed a soft laugh, his eyes sparkling with a devilish amusement.
"Well, well. Isn't this a surprise? How rare it is to have the culprit walk right into our hands. Thank you for making our jobs that much easier. Seize her!"
Chibi dodged a dozen grabby gauntlets, before vaulting over the next knight that went for her ankles. Once she bolted toward the heart of the city, it kicked off a chase that Willow had never seen before and would most assuredly never see again; upstairs and downstairs, out windows and over barrels, through carriage doors held open by stately gentleman for fair ladies. Chibi ran the gauntlet. She used every trick in the book, trying to shake Evergreen's finest.
Her effort paid off; freedom was in sight! A quick glance showed that they were far behind her. Once she got to the other end of the alleyway, Chibi was confident that they would lose her in the labyrinth of storehouses with their endless places to hide. She just needed to round that last corner and- A silhouette stepped into the exit's light.
The thief's run slowly came to a halt, as she saw a man's face. It was a smirking Sir Reginald that was blocking the way out. And to make it worse, he was soon joined by the rest of his squadron. Chibi's pounding heart felt like it could have dropped dead in her chest; the soldiers behind her had closed off the only escape route!
"We have you now, little thief. And this time, you won't be getting away."
A single word made itself known in her panic-induced mind: Trapped!