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C H E L L

For the most of the morning, Chell had thought that things had been going well for her and the thief. Aside from the recurring pain at the back of her head that she had first noticed two nights ago, their journey together had more or less been quite... peaceful.

If she were to admit, Chell would confess that she had not once thought of what would happen next if the Crow Thief had decided to accept her offer. She believed that he would have never agreed to the oath in the first place, considering how sudden it all had been. Yet he had. Now, after spending five days together, Chell had been doubting on whether her decision had been right or wrong and whether or not the dead foresaw this in their visions. But there was no more use in changing her mind. The oath had been made. The dead had been the ones who had given her the choice to choose what to do.

Once again, she longed for the familiar cold presence she had gotten used to after her waking six years ago. Their sudden disappearance had left her with an empty feeling. Loneliness, perhaps. It was them, after all, who had always guided her in her path, who told her what to do or where to go. Now that they had disappeared, Chell found herself at a loss. She had not even known where to go after Uldard. In a snap decision, she had chosen Gisnell to be the destination she and the thief would both go to, merely because it was the nearest kingdom to the north. And now that they had finally arrived after the days of walking, trouble had already seemed to stir right from the start. Just when she imagined their first day in Gisnell to end peacefully like the last four that they spent traveling in the forest, of course, that was also the moment when her luck decided to prove her wrong.

To make the situation somewhat ironic, the scene that was happening was even similar in Uldard. Once again, Chell's satchel that held the skull inside had been stolen from her without her realization, right under her nose. She cursed herself for being such easy prey. This was what happened now that the dead were gone and no one was there to warn her of any misfortune. It only proved that she had depended too much on their guidance. As of now, it seemed that she was useless without them. In fact, if it weren't for the thief's quick eyes, Chell would have likely ended up suffering from the same mistake that she did in the previous kingdom. The very thought left her feeling slightly embarrassed, though she did her best not to let it show on her face.

She breathed out, shaking away her thoughts. This was not the time to think back of such things. A still silence had settled over the street as the events unfolded before them. It took a few seconds for both Chell and Noct to understand the weight of the words that the girl had just announced. It did not take a lot of thinking to realize what she meant by saying that.

The Falcon Witch.

Jul Orben, the girl before them, was a Titled Witch.

The situation before them had taken a turn for the worse. It was one thing to be stolen from by a girl, another thing to be stolen from by a witch, and a completely different thing to be stolen from by a Titled Witch. After all, not all witches were granted with a Title that easily. To be granted one meant a certain critical thing: the capital kingdom of Aurden recognized your talent and abilities as a witch or a wizard. Essentially, that meant that if you were a Titled Witch, you were deemed as powerful enough to be a threat to the continent.

Chell narrowed her eyes to a slight degree, studying the girl named Jul who was still flashing a wide grin. The falcon that was perched on her arm was as still as a statue, unmoving except for its eyes which seemed to follow her every moment. It didn't seem to have been summoned by the Falcon Witch as a threat, although its sharp claws alone were enough to scare any person away.

All around the three them, Chell heard the faint whispers of the people muttering among themselves. She felt an uncomfortable prickle, suddenly aware of the gathering spectators that seemed to eye them. It might have been her mistake, but Chell thought that the expressions on their faces, instead of fear or surprise, somehow seemed... uninterested. Bothered, even. Chell blinked once, seemingly confused. Their reactions were contrary to how she had expected them to.

In front of her, she noticed the Crow Thief suddenly straighten up. He was the first to finally speak.

"I see.... well, the Falcon Witch really does have a nice ring to it," he acknowledged flatly.

The witch aggressively nodded for a few times. Simultaneously, she had moved her hand to clip Chell's satchel at her belt, leaving it to hang at the side of her hip. It protruded from the cape as a result of the skull tucked inside, which Chell was certain that the girl didn't know about. Then, Jul reached out and stroked the bird's head with her free hand. It ruffled its wings affectionately.

"Right!?" The Falcon Witch sounded sincerely ecstatic, as if happy to finally meet someone who shared the same opinion. "I mean, it sounds so cool!"

Noct tilted his head slightly to one side, his expression still the same. Then, after a moment, he laughed, albeit weakly. "Hahaha. Right. Okay, then. Well... Now that you've told us who you are and shown us your interesting bird... I don't suppose you would like to give that satchel back?" He sounded rather hopeful.

Jul paused for a moment, looking at him. Then, her grin widened even further. A glint of mischief alighted in her eyes, and Chell had a feeling right then that getting her satchel back would not be that easy as the thief thought.

"Nope, I don't suppose I'd like to," she said amusedly.

An uncomfortable silence passed between them again. Chell continued to stand there unmoving, silently watching their exchange. As she did, she noticed that the people around them were now beginning to whisper among themselves. Instead of looks of fear, some were frowning with looks of annoyance on their faces. Chell caught one of them whisper in a loud voice, "Ah, here we go again."

... Again?, Chell thought.

She didn't have enough time to dwell deeper about that statement because at that moment, Jul suddenly burst out into a loud and bright laugh. Her falcon made a shrill cry in surprise, extending its wings to remain balanced on her arm as she hunched down to grab her stomach. Chell and Noct glanced quickly at each other, the looks on their faces unsure. Then, after she calmed down a little, the Falcon Witch raised her head and said something they never expected to hear at that moment.

"Say, why don't we play a game of tag?" she suggested happily.

It was amazing how a single sentence seemed to lift all the weight that had been hanging heavily around them. Chell made a barely visible frown, taken aback by her sudden statement. Noct must have felt the same, since his voice was full of confusion. "Eh... Tag?"

Jul nodded, exaggerating the gesture by lolling her head up and down. She spread her free hand outwards, as though showcasing a rare sight. "Yes! A game! The winner gets to take the prize--which is the satchel--while the loser gets nothing!"

"... Erm..." Noct trailed off, looking away from the Falcon Witch's eyes that were filled with absolute delight. Then, as if suddenly remembering about Chell, he turned around to look at her for help. His face was morphed in a very confused expression, pale eyes uncertain. He seemed completely at a loss for words. Chell could not blame him. At first, she had thought that Jul was an extremely dangerous thief, a Titled Witch who abused her powers. But now, after she made the suggestion of a game of tag, Chell wondered if that really was the case. Perhaps, if by some bizarre reason, all she wanted was to have some fun and excitement. Now that she closely looked at Jul, there was no indication that she held any ill-intent towards them. At the very least, her smile seemed genuine enough.

Which was extremely confusing. Why go to such lengths?, Chell wondered.

At that moment, the Snow Witch found her voice. As if cued by Noct's expectant look, she gathered enough courage and took a small, tentative step. Then, she finally spoke in the best loud voice she could manage.

"... Please... give me my satchel back."

Jul blinked in surprise, turning her gaze to look at Chell. Jul's reaction told her that she had forgotten all about the Snow Witch. She raised an eyebrow. "Um...? What did you say?"

Chell tried again. "Please... give me... my satchel back..."

Jul frowned and leaned forward a little, obviously having a hard time hearing her. Her bird squawked in discomfort but remained perched on her arm.

"Please... give me my satchel back..."

This time, however, it seemed as if the Falcon Witch had finally heard her words. Right after Chell ended her trailing sentence, she leaned back and made another grin. Then, she replied in her jolly tone. "Sorry, but no can do! If you want it back, you'll have to take it away from me! It's a game, after all! Play tag with m--"

"--Jul Orben!"

Everyone in the vicinity jolted in alarm as they heard the sharp voice that had suddenly came out of nowhere. The Falcon Witch jumped at the sudden calling of her name. Startled, Chell and Noct turned around to face the owner of the voice who was approaching from behind them, squeezing through the crowd. A pale slender hand emerged before the rest of its body followed. Another girl had arrived.

The first thought that went through Chell as she saw her was that she looked beautiful. Her bright red hair was tied in a low ponytail, tumbling down one side of her shoulders. On her head, a thin golden chaplet rested. A pale-colored tunic was draped over her intricate white dress. Even at a first glance, Chell could tell that its material was made from the highest of qualities. The girl had piercing sky-blue eyes that she had positioned in a glare. The way she carried herself, seemed to indicate that she was a person from the higher nobles. The girl had an intimidating air that surrounded her.

The newcomer broke off from the crowd, apparently too exhausted to move one step further. She hunched down, resting her hands on her knees. She was panting. Sweat was rolling down her face. The girl looked up and glared at Jul, looking thoroughly furious.

"Come... Come back here!" she wheezed menacingly, completely disregarding Chell and Noct's presence.

"Gaah! My warden is here!" Jul cried out in alarm, looking thoroughly petrified. She turned to Chell and Noct and made a mercenary's salute. "Er, well then, gotta run!"

Without pausing for another second, Jul turned around and ran away like her life depended on it. Her bird flapped its enormous wings and finally let go of her arm, flying above her as it followed in her wake. The Falcon Witch was a fast runner. In a matter of seconds, Jul had already blended into the mass of bodies and disappeared, leaving them alone in the street.

The red-haired girl suddenly groaned, hanging her head. Her breaths were still deep and exhausted. It seemed as though she had been running for quite some time.

"Arrgh, not...again!" She breathed in, then out. "She... always does this... whenever she feels like it!"

Noct spoke up first, raising an eyebrow. "Um... perhaps you know that witch?"

The girl stopped panting for a moment, collecting her breath. Then, she stood up straight and inhaled deeply, studying both the witch and the thief, her gaze leveled.

"Judging from the scene... you two seem to be her unfortunate victims this time," she guessed correctly. "And to answer your question, yes, I do know that girl. And I offer my extreme apologies. This happens frequently. Well, not that frequently... But she isn't really stealing your satchel. She... just wants some fun. Although I guess that really isn't an acceptable reason to steal..."

No wonder the people's reactions were too dull.

Chell blinked. At that moment, the dull throbbing at the back of her head came back again. She winced, but ignored the pain.

"I promise I'll let her apologize properly once I get ahold of her," the red-haired girl said, shaking her head. "For now, why don't we follow after her? The sooner we get the item that she stole from you, the sooner this mess will be settled. Once again, I'm really sorry for causing you both trouble."

Chell found herself speaking up. "No... it's alright..."

The girl sighed, placing her palm on her head. Locks of her hair fell on her face. "I'll give her a good nagging once we find her. For now, I have an idea where she's going, but we have to be quick. Please, follow me."

After she said that, the girl broke into a slow run in the direction where the Falcon Witch had disappeared into, turning around to gesture for the others. "Come on!"

For a dubious second, Chell and Noct exchanged glances. This could may as well be some kind of trap. The possibility was low, but it was still there. He narrowed his pale eyes, looking unconvinced. Chell could understand his doubts. Still, there was no other way if they wanted to get her satchel back. As a precaution, she would know if the girl really was leading them towards Jul, since she could feel the skull calling out and telling her its location. If it really was a trick, she would know. She gave the thief a small, resolute nod.

.... And to think that it was only the first day, she thought.

Coming to a silent agreement, they nodded to each other and followed after her.

----> thank you for reading!

Q:
Who could the other girl be?